By ADI News Services
Her own use of RICO funds has been questionable, and now a legal expert is advising Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall to step aside in the RICO spending approval process. In an interview with KGUN9 News reporter Valerie Cavazos, former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley argued that LaWall has a clear conflict of interest.
Questions as to who should assist the supervisors in performing a review and approval of RICO spending by the County Attorney’s Office arise from a recent change in Arizona law. The new law requires the supervisors to review RICO spending requests made by the County Attorney’s Office. That review necessarily includes legal judgments few supervisors would be qualified to make. As a result, supervisors would rely on legal counsel in order to determine which requests meet the standards for RICO use.
LaWall has argued that her office can and should be the supervisors’ counsel.
