CNMI - Administration seeks reimbursement from lobby firms (Abramoff)

[DoYouEverWonder]

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

The Fitial-Villagomez administration clarified yesterday that it is seeking a reimbursement from Preston Gates and Greenberg Traurig, the lobby firms previously connected to the CNMI government, and not from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff himself.

According to Charles Reyes, the administration's press secretary, "The firms are the legal parties to the lobbying contracts with the CNMI government, not Mr. Jack Abramoff.

"In all of the contracts entered into by the CNMI government and Preston Gates and Greenberg Traurig, not a single page of the documents contains Jack Abramoff's name," said Reyes.

The recovery efforts are addressed to the two firms previously connected to Abramoff rather than with Abramoff in his personal capacity, he reiterated.

"All lobbying payments the CNMI government made are made payable to Preston Gates or Greenberg Traurig," Reyes added.

http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=54448

Another client screwed by Jack Abramoff. Join the club folks.

[punpirate]

1. No, not a client screwed...

... the island government of Guam was doing everything they could to keep the US from looking into their shady judicial dealings, and Abramoff was supposed to help with that. That government is as corrupt as Bush's. It's quite funny that they're trying to distance themselves from Abramoff, and yet, it's fairly obvious that he was their point man at both lobby shops. When Abramoff left Preston Gates and went to Greenberg Traurig, CNMI's business followed.

When the business about Black being removed as US prosecutor for the islands gets more exposure--along with the rather shady lawyer in CA who transferred payments to Abramoff in small amounts to evade accounting and purchase order requirements--the Guam newspapers are going to have lots to write about.