Territory governor commutes predecessor’s prison sentence

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HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — The former governor of a territory west of Hawaii who pleaded guilty to corruption charges in May is getting medical treatment instead of prison time.

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — The former governor of a territory west of Hawaii who pleaded guilty to corruption charges in May is getting medical treatment instead of prison time.

The Pacific Daily News reports (https://bit.ly/1IGalZE) an attorney for former Northern Marianas Gov. Benigno Fitial said Gov. Eloy Inos commuted the one-year prison sentence that his client was set to start serving this week in light of appeals from the public and the 69-year-old’s illness.

Superior Court Judge David Wiseman said in court that Fitial misused public resources and ordered the release of a woman in federal custody shortly after his election so she could give him a massage.

Fitial had initially asked for a pardon. He plans to leave Saipan for the Philippines to receive treatment for Type 2 diabetes.