Bordallo claims corruption charges are political

Governor Ricardo Bordallo of Guam was indicted on 11 counts just before the September primary.

A U.S. Grand Jury charged him with three separate acts of extortion which allegedly brought him close to $120,000 in bribes.

His assistant chief of staff. Rose Ramsey, the young widow of a late Guam Senator, and an island business man, John Borlas, were also subject to four and two indictments respectively.

Two other principals in the case, former Guam official Vinay Sood, and Guam engineer and businessman Johnny Carpio, had earlier pleaded guilty to charges in previously secret judicial proceedings. They agreed that they had, respectively, handed the Governor US$6O,OOO and $50,000.

Bordallo denied all charges and said the U.S.

Attorney, an appointee of the mainland Republican administration, had been motivated by political con siderations.

When he appeared before the Grand Jury of 11 men and 11 women of mainly Chamorro (Guam) nationality, the Governor refused to answer questions but read a prepared statement in which he denounced the proceed ings as “a political lynching” that “reeks of colonialism and racism.” He claimed that the disintegration of ANZUS, uncertainty over the U.S. Philippines bases, conflict over Palau’s nuclear-free constitution and opposition to the installation of a U.S. Air Force radar facility at Saipan cure all behind a plot to unseat him.

Bordallo, however, is no Micronesian militant. The part Chamorro Governor who is married to an American does not seek independence for Guam nor to close the U.S. bases there.

U.S. Attorney Bill O’Connor, meanwhile, described Bordallo’s claim that the indictments plus their crucial timing were politically motivated as “bogus.”

He added that if the Governor were to be convicted on all counts the resultant prison sentences could last “more

than his lifetime.” He revealed that the investigation had been underway for about 20 months, leading to allega tions that the timing of the announcement was plainly political.

In any case, the Grand Jury was unimpressed and promptly indicted the Governor who will now face trial.

For while Bordallo’s defence concerned diplomatic relations around the Pacific, the Grand Jury concen trated on his alleged relations with money-bearing businessmen.

The indictment an extremely detailed document running to over 9,000 words alleges that the Governor accepted these funds for these favours: • $60,000 for clearing the way for a Japanese-owned scrap iron firm to secure a three-acre lease from the Port Authority of Guam; • $9,600 for seeking to influence the Guam Telephone Authority in connection with its relations with IT&E, a local business whose president is the indicted John Borlas; • $50,000 in return for help in securing a $500,000 contract from the Guam Department of Public Works for Maruyama and Associates, the president of which, Vinay Sood, had pleaded guilty to two counts of bribery.

Johnny Carpio, the middleman in the scrap iron case, had earlier also pleaded guilty to his part in the activity and was placed in protective custody by the FBI after threats to his wife.

Under Guam law a Governor does not have to automatically step down upon conviction only a recall election could achieve that. Bordallo has declined comment on his intentions if re-elected and convicted.

However, under those circumstances, the Lt Governor (running mate and incumbent Edward D Reyes), would fill the “temporary vacancy” created by the Governor’s imprisonment, even if Bordallo retained his title. —from David S. Sorth in Washington and Ed Rampell in Guam.