Four cases involving tribal council delegates dismissed
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz., August 10, 2012
Special Prosecutor Eric Dahlstron had announced in filing last month that his office was in the process of settling as many of the cases as possible against those accused of wrongdoing in the investigation surrounding misuse of tribal discretionary funds.
The first four cases he wanted to dismiss, he told Perry, were for the tribe's former attorney general Louis Denetsosie, the tribe's current attorney general Harrison Tsosie, and two current members of the Navajo Nation Council - LoRenzo Bates, who is chairman of the council's Budget and Finance Committee, and Leonard Tsosie, who is chair of the council's subcommittee on government reform.
Dahlstrom had asked that the charges be dismissed with prejudice, meaning that they could not be refiled.
But Perry, in her decision, said they would be dismissed without prejudice because the dismissal in these cases may have an affect on the other cases against others named in the suit.
By dismissing without prejudice, this could allow the tribe or the special prosecutors the right to refile them in some form at a later date if they so desired.
Dahlstrom is still indicating that more settlements in the cases are on the horizon.