Ex-officials are fined
for illegal donations
The state Campaign Spending Commission unanimously approved more than $4,000 in fines yesterday against former state Sen. David Matsuura and ex-city transportation official Amar Sappal.
Commission members voted 5-0 to fine Sappal $2,000 for making campaign contributions under false names to campaigns of Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris and former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono.
The commission also unanimously approved a $2,038.59 fine against Matsuura, a Democrat who represented South Hilo, for using campaign funds to pay for air fare and lodging for a 2002 trip to Japan. Matsuura lost his seat in the 2002 election to fellow Democrat Lorraine Inouye.
Bob Watada, the commission's executive director, said Matsuura's trip to Japan was personal and not campaign-related.
"We don't think he has any constituents in Japan," Watada said.
Sappal, who left the city in 1995 to become a senior vice president with the engineering and architecture firm of Carter & Burgess Inc., reimbursed his son Sanjeev Sappal and his friend Ramesh Chandra $8,500 for making contributions to Harris and Hirono.
Sappal told the commission that he was unaware of other contributions by Carter & Burgess employees to those candidates. A study by the commission found that the firm's employees gave $15,500 to Harris and $9,250 to former Gov. Ben Cayetano. Sappal no longer works for Carter & Burgess.
Donors are barred by law from making political donations under false names in order to circumvent campaign contribution limits. The ceiling for donations is $4,000 for mayoral races and $6,000 for gubernatorial races.
Neither Sappal nor Matsuura could be reached for comment.
In a separate matter, the commission voted unanimously to fine state Senate President Robert Bunda's campaign. The commission found that the Bunda campaign improperly used campaign money to award scholarships and donate to religious organizations.
But Watada said the infractions occurred more than four years ago and were not intentional.