The Maui County Council’s Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Monday to discuss litigation involving former county chief of staff Leo Caires, whose whistleblower lawsuit alleges he was fired after raising concerns about suspected fraud in the mayor’s office.

Caires filed the lawsuit against Maui County in April, alleging Mayor Richard Bissen wrongfully terminated him in violation of Hawaii’s Whistleblowers’ Protection Act after Caires reported suspected fraud involving public funds tied to grants administered through the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.

Bissen has denied the allegations, calling them inaccurate and saying the county is confident it will prevail in court.

According to Committee Chair Kauanoe Batangan, Monday’s meeting will include a status update on the lawsuit from the county’s special counsel.

Additionally, the meeting will include discussion of Resolution 26-99, which would require all written settlement offers in the case to be transmitted to the council. The resolution also proposes that invoices from the county’s special counsel be sent to council staff for review.

“To continue promoting transparency, accountability and public confidence in Maui County government, the committee will discuss legislation focused on strengthening good governance practices,” Batangan said in a news release. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure we are fostering trust and doing our best in serving all residents.”

The committee will meet again at 1:30 p.m. June 30 to receive a presentation on the Maui County Fraud Risk Assessment from County Auditor Lance Taguchi and representatives from Spire Hawaii LLP, which prepared the report.

The assessment found Maui County’s internal controls were not adequate to mitigate likely fraud risks, citing major gaps in oversight, including the lack of a countywide fraud reporting process, the absence of a countywide nepotism policy and weaknesses in fraud controls during emergency procurements.

According to Batangan, the Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. July 28 to discuss the Board of Ethics’ priority proposals, including Bill 55, which addresses Code of Ethics violations and penalties. Other items on the agenda include a bill to prohibit nepotism and a bill to establish standards for lobbyists.

The meetings will be held online via Microsoft Teams, with an in-person component at the Council Chamber in Kalana o Maui, 200 S. High St. The meetings will be livestreamed on Akaku Channel 53, at MauiCounty.us and on the council’s Facebook page.

In-person, online and phone testimony will be accepted at all meetings. Testimony instructions are available on meeting agendas at mauicounty.us/agendas.

For more information, contact committee staff at great.committee@mauicounty.us or call the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-7664.