Angel Demapan was paid by the casino
By Nancy I. Maanao
(Tumon, Guam) Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC was paying Angel Demapan for services rendered during 2016 and 2017, when he was a member of the CNMI House of Representatives. This is illegal.
Mr. Demapan now serves as Gov. Ralph Torres's chief of staff.
"Mr. Angel was one of the biggest crooks," said the source of information from within the casino. Mr. Demapan's name appears several times over the two-year period in the IPI vendor listing. The amounts he was paid vary from the hundreds to the thousands.
It is against the Commonwealth's laws for members of the Legislature to receive remuneration from the casino.
Mr. Demapan also supported Public Law 20-85, which eased banking regulations on the casino, making it easier for money laundering activities to occur. Sen. Paul Manglona (I-Rota), on the Senate floor yesterday, pointed out the suspicious effect of Mr. Demapan's law on the ability for regulators to comprehend the cash transactions and debt instruments that affect the casino's bottom line.
Mr. Manglona reminded his colleagues that the casino's tax payments have significantly decreased, from an initial payment north of $60 million a few years ago to just $41,000 as of the July financials of the Commonwealth. He said it is impossible for the people to understand what has happened when financial statements from the Governor's cabinet have not been made available to lawmakers.
Mr. Demapan ran unsuccessfully against delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives Gregorio "Kilili" Sablan.
According to Mr. Demapan's campaign financial disclosure for that election, most of his big ticket contributors are with or are connected to the casino.
In a November 7, 2017 fundraiser, where he raised $37,000 in one day, nearly $17,000 in contributions came from just 11 people, including former IPI CEO Mark Brown, who was among five who donated $2,700 each. The other four are attorney Kim Hinds, Thomas Liu, former IPI legal counsel Phil Tydingco, and Alfred Yue. Ron Li Anderson and Alex Sablan also are on that list, as well as Secretary of Labor Vicky Benavente.
In another fundraiser, Irene Tudela Torres donated $2,000 in one day. Alex Sablan made another donation, this time for $1,919. Clyde "Jelly Roll" Norita also donated $600.
