More receipts surface; Torres made $5,000 purchase on government credit card at clothes shop

 

 

By Troy Torres and Vickilyn Manglona Teregeyo

Receipts from an 8 p.m., September 18, 2022 purchase at the apparel shop 4EVER CNMI show Ralph Torres made a $5,000 payment using his government-issued credit card when he was governor. And in the midst of his campaign for reelection. The people of the Commonwealth paid for his use of that credit card.

CNMI Department of Finance records show the receipts for the purchase made using Mr. Torres’ travel card (also known as a P-Card, or purchase card). The merchant credit card sale receipt shows the purchase was made on September 18, 2022, which was a Sunday. The store receipt for the same purchase was issued the following day from 4EVER CNMI’s register at 3:54 p.m., Monday, September 19.

According to posts by the CNMI Republican Party on Facebook, September 18, 2022 was the same day as a Torres-Sablan gubernatorial candidacy party celebrating Mr. Torres’ running mate, Vinnie Sablan’s birthday.

The store receipt lists the $5,000 purchase as one unit of miscellaneous.

4EVER CNMI sells t-shirts, shorts, hats, and other clothing apparel at prices that range in the double digits.

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

A Kandit source of information provided Kandit new documents indicating Mr. Torres was at it again. This time during the election season. This time using a government-issued credit card.

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

There is no allowable use for clothes purchases, not to mention the guide’s continuous mention of prohibition against personal expenses.

“Only eligible direct Government business s 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.

Kandit has reached out to and is awaiting response from 4EVER CNMI about what the former governor purchased that evening for $5,000 from their store.