By Troy Torres and Vickilyn Manglona Teregeyo
A government-paid credit card receipt shows that on the same day Kandit broke news that former Governor Ralph Torres had signed off on $10.5 million in federal funds to 241 businesses (mostly those connected to his campaign at the time), Mr. Torres was at it again with his penchant for the finer things in life at the expense of taxpayers.
A merchant credit card receipt from Outback Steakhouse in Tumon, Guam shows that the former governor’s publicly-paid credit card was charged at 10:24 p.m. on December 9, 2022. There was no itemized receipt as required by the credit card guidelines, according to documents from the CNMI Department of Finance.
There also are no records indicating why Mr. Torres was in Guam and whether there was a public purpose to his visit there and for the restaurant charges.
This restaurant charge is one of scores of expensive dining outings Mr. Torres has charged to the taxpayers of the CNMI, who now are struggling through a government fiscal crisis and an economic slump. Previous legislative investigations into Mr. Torres’ use of public funds have revealed tens of thousands of dollars in fine dining in Saipan, Guam, and several states and countries, he charged to the taxpayers.
A Kandit source of information has provided Kandit with a newly-discovered album of receipts, this time showing charges made by the former governor through his government-issued credit card, called a travel card or P-card.
We have reported on two other spending instances thus far, including a September 19, 2022 purchase of one item at 4EVER CNMI for $5,000, and a July 29, 2022, Ace Hardware purchase of equipment and supplies totaling more than $4,110.
The December 9 Outback charges occurred as the CNMI House of Representatives was starting up its third investigation into Mr. Torres’ spending of public funds, and issuing subpoenas in the now-infamous BOOST scandal.
Earlier that year, Mr. Torres’ supporters in the CNMI Senate, controlled by republicans at the time, managed to thwart an effort to remove him from office following a lengthy legislative investigation by Celina Roberto Babauta that preceded impeachment proceedings and impeachment by the House. Among the articles of impeachment were that Mr. Torres stole money from the Commonwealth’s people by using 28 separate credit cards to make personal purchases for which he had the CNMI government reimburse him tens of thousands of dollars.
The list of cards with their suffixes follows:
1. 7438
2. 8223
3. 1001 – AMEX Fleet card
4. 1002 – Amex Fleet Card
5. 6500
6. 438857
7. 1232
8. 3987 – VISA
9. 6177
10. 2868
11. 2945
12. 1009
13. 5826
14. 5526
15. 1214
16. 7016
17. 6503
18. 6836
19. 434309
20. 3673 – 9/13/18
21. 2003 – AMEX
22. 2679
23. 4109
24. 438857
25. 6368
26. 7174
27. 2917
28. 9031
According to the Department of Finance’s Travel Card (P-Card) Program Guide rules and regulations, P-cards can only be used for certain purchases, including:
A. Airline Ticket
B. Hotel Stays
C. Parking Fees
D. Per Diem
E. Business Meals
F. Gasoline for Rental Vehicles
G. Stipend
H. Subsistence Allowance
I. Car Rentals
J. Excess Baggage Fee
K. Conference Fees
L. Taxis, or Rideshares
M. Railroad tickets
N. Bus tickets
The guide continuously mentions the government’s prohibition against personal expenses.
“Only eligible direct Government business may be charged to the Travel Card; personal purchases are prohibited,” the guide states. “All Travel Card transactions must be supported by a detailed business purpose and by proof of purchase documentation.”
Part II of the guide states, in part:
A. The receipt must include the following information:
a. Date of transaction
b. Name of merchant
c. Transaction details (what was purchased)
d. Amount of purchase
e. Form of payment used
f. Indication that amount was paid
g. A printed name and signature of the approved user are required on the receipt.
B. Examples of receipts are below. Originals are preferred when a paper receipt is issued, but copies are acceptable
if originals are not available. Electronic/emailed receipts are also acceptable.
a. Detailed sales receipt
b. Packing slips with a dollar amount
c. Subscription or dues form
d. Conference registration forms
e. Statement-of-work reports from suppliers
f. Photocopies of software mail-order forms
Part III of the policy states P-card holders must submit documentation about who benefitted from the purchase, what the public purpose and benefit was from the purchase, why the purchase had to be an expense of the government, where the public purpose event or activity took place, and when the event or activity occurred.
None of those details appear in any CNMI Department of Finance documentation for this purchase, according to Finance records.
