Imperial Pacific International (IPI) has launched legal action in Hong Kong against media giant Bloomberg and two of its reporters over a series of articles that have been highly critical of the company’s operations in Saipan.
According to a report by local newspaper Marianas Variety, the High Court of Hong Kong SAR’s Court of First Instance has issued a writ of summons to Bloomberg, which has been named as first defendant in the lawsuit.
Reporters Matthew Campbell and K Oanh Ha have been named second and third defendants respectively.
IPI was the focus of a damning expose by Bloomberg in February in which the news outlet claimed the casino operator had influenced local officials in securing a casino license and building its US$650 million Imperial Pacific Resort in Saipan.
Bloomberg also claimed in a separate article that IPI’s offices has been raided by the FBI, a claim that IPI has denied.
IPI announced in April that it would ask for an extension of the August deadline for completion of Imperial Pacific Resort due to construction delays.
Under its current Casino License Agreement with the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC), the company must complete a minimum of 329 hotel rooms, 14,140 square meters of gaming area and various other non-gaming elements by 31 August.
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