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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2003

A Navajo official in the Four Corners area of New Mexico is accusing Secretary of Interior Gale Norton of ordering employees not to talk about the Cobell trust fund lawsuit.

The Farmington Daily-Times quotes a department official who said he can't talk about the case or its problems. "We cannot talk about that, it is under a court order," said Kevin Gambrell, director of the Farmington Indian Minerals Office (FIMO), an inter-agency office that serves about 8,000 Navajo beneficiaries.

Nageezi Chapter President Calvert Garcia said that Navajo account holders are not receiving their royalty checks, which Gambrell denied. Garcia said his answer was to be expected.

"An order was given by Secretary Norton that anybody who says anything negative about the lawsuit, their job is on the line," Garcia said.

Get the Story:
Are Navajos receiving gas, oil royalty checks? (The Farmington Daily-Times 2/14)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Trust Reform, NCAI - http://www.ncai.org/main/pages/
issues/other_issues/trust_reform.asp

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