By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

THE Arizona-based company seeking to mine and extract pozzolan from Pagan Island wants to be the sole owner of “any and all historic artifacts or antiquities” that its employees will find on the mining site should its business venture finally commence.
In its proposed “employment agreement” obtained by Marianas Variety, Azmar International Inc. strictly binds its employees to refrain from either directly or indirectly divulging, disclosing or communicating to any person, or firm or corporation, any information concerning any historical artifacts or antiquities owned by the employer.
“Any and all historic artifacts or antiquities located, retrieved, or the location of which become known, are the sole property of employer. Employee, shall not, at any time or in any manner, either directly or indirectly, divulge, disclose or communicate to any person, firm or corporation, in any manner whatsoever, any information concerning any historical artifacts or antiquities owned by employer,” according to Section 9 of the agreement.
Failure to abide this rule, would mean the employee or employees would pay Azmar $200,000.
“In the event of a breach of the terms and/or provisions 8, 9, 10 or 11, employer shall be entitled to liquidated damages in the amount of $200,000...,” reads section 17 of the agreement.
It will be recalled that former Historic Preservation Office director, now Rep. Joseph Deleon Guerrero, had arguments with Azmar’s president, Kenneth Moore, in the past over a World War II machine gun.
Moore, a retired investment banker and entrepreneur from Scottsdale, Arizona, discovered the “potential” of Pagan during his trip to the CNMI in 1998 while searching for a B-29 piloted by his uncle during World War II.
The HPO accused Moore of allegedly removing a machine gun, which is against the law, during his trip to the Northern Islands.
HPO confiscated the machine gun from Moore who claims that he recovered and restored it and later donated it to the CNMI Museum.
But the issue on the machine gun nearly led to a legal dispute between Deleon Guerrero and Moore.
Moore claims Deleon Guerrero’s accusation allegedly maligned his character.