Gov. Linda Lingle's chief of staff was questioned last year by federal agents as part of an ongoing public corruption probe into a Saipan waste management contract awarded in 2002.

Robert L. Awana said he denied the government's accusations that he bribed government officials in Saipan to secure a contract worth more than $1 million to run a landfill on the U.S. territory from 2002 to 2007.

Awana has not been charged with a crime and Saipan Gov. Benigno Repeki Fitial, a Democrat, canceled the contract in 2005.

The contract was originally awarded to Saipan Waste Management during Republican Gov. Juan N. Babauta's term.

Awana, who owns a 16 percent stake in Saipan Waste Management, said he was questioned by agents with the U.S. Department of Justice's inspector general's office about a year ago.

"The assertion (by the federal government) was that Saipan Waste Management was awarded a contract and a bid by the former governor because he's a Republican, I'm a Republican and Gov. Lingle is a Republican. There was an allegation that maybe there was public corruption in this thing, that maybe we were paying under the table," Awana said.

"I was shocked to hear the allegations that we got this contract because of some connection to the (then) governor because I barely knew the guy."

The federal agents asked if he bribed officials to get the contract, Awana said. "I said 'absolutely not,' " he said.

Awana said he informed Lingle immediately after federal agents approached him.

Lingle is traveling in Japan and could not be reached for comment, a spokeswoman in Lingle's office said yesterday.

Hawai'i FBI Special Agent Anthony K. Lang would not comment. Leonardo M. Rapadas, U.S. attorney for Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands, said he could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an ongoing investigation.

In addition to interviewing him, federal agents also confiscated and reviewed his and the company's financial statements, Awana said.

Agents asked Awana how many trips he took to Saipan before Babauta awarded the contract and how often he traveled to the island while the contract was viable.

Agents also asked about contributions made to Babauta's campaign on behalf of Saipan Waste Management, Awana said. Awana said yesterday he didn't know how much the company contributed to Babauta's campaign, but said the contributions were legal.

Awana traveled to Saipan once a year, on his own time, from 2002 to 2005 to monitor the company's work, he said. He said he had lunch with Babauta a few times at a golf course in Saipan but only after the contract had been awarded.

Saipan Waste Management, which ran the landfill from 2002 to 2005, is now "all but dissolved," Awana said.

Saipan Waste Management is not incorporated in the state of Hawai'i but lists an office on Hanohano Place.

At its peak, the company employed more than a dozen people and owned several pieces of heavy machinery used to maintain the Saipan landfill. The 43-acre landfill is in Saipan's northern district of Marpi.

Awana recently was the subject of an alleged extortion attempt by an Indian national who now is in federal custody. A federal grand jury indictment charges that Rajdatta Patkar, 44, attempted to extort $35,000 from Awana on three separate occasions in September 2005.

Awana said he reported the matter to federal officials and has cooperated with the investigation.

Awana said the FBI made a $4,000 payment to Patkar as part of a sting operation.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.