Navajo official to repay $34,000 for illegal contracts

GALLUP, N.M. (AP) – An official with the Whitehorse Lake Chapter of the Navajo Nation has been ordered to repay another chapter for funds that were paid to a relative’s construction company that she illegally contracted.

The Gallup Independent reports that Whitehorse Lake community service coordinator Relda Martinez has agreed to pay $200 a month to the Baca-Prewitt Chapter until she pays off $34,000 of the $68,000 in chapter funds that were paid to Bar W.J. Construction, of Crownpoint.

The tribal Office of Hearings and Rules accepted the settlement between Martinez and the Navajo Nation Ethics and Rules in October.

As part of the settlement, Martinez has agreed to testify against the owners of Bar W. J. Construction, who are her niece and nephew, in civil and criminal proceedings.

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Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com