Trustee Akina Praises OHA’s Support of Court Order to Open LLCs’ Books

Under interim CEO Sylvia Hussey’s leadership, transparency reigns

News Release from Office of OHA Trustee Keli’i Akina, PhD, July 8, 2019

HONOLULU, HI- Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Keli’i Akina today praised OHA for acknowledging that its limited liability companies (LLCs) have a duty to comply with a recent state Circuit Court order[1] granting journalist Andrew Walden access to financial records maintained by the LLCs.

“OHA is, for the first time, acknowledging that the LLCs are state agencies subject to state laws and that they must provide the records that were initially denied to Mr. Walden. For that I commend OHA, and I look forward to this period of greater transparency for the organization,” Trustee Akina said.  

In a letter[2] responding to the state Office of Information Practices’ request for OHA’s assistance in providing to Mr. Walden the records he requested, OHA’s interim CEO Sylvia Hussey acknowledged the duty of the LLCs to comply with the court order.  She also acknowledged that the state court opinion applies to all OHA LLCs, rather than just the three named in the court order. 

“I commend Sylvia Hussey for her leadership in ensuring that OHA and its LLCs commit fully to transparency,” Trustee Akina said.

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[1] The Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law are attached to this email news release, and can be accessed at https://www.civilbeatlawcenter.org/case/llcs/

[2]  Sylvia Hussey’s letter to OIP is attached to this email news release.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this news release are the personal views of Trustee Akina and may not reflect the views of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs or its Board of Trustees.

Keliʻi Akina, Ph.D., is a community leader who is known for the phrase he has coined, "E Hana Kākou" - Let's work together! Over the past several years as a public policy adviser at the legislative, congressional and international levels, Dr. Akina’s mission has been to preserve the Aloha Spirit by which native Hawaiians and people of all races are welcomed and encouraged to work together for a better future for all our keiki. He was elected to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees in November 2016. 

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