FROM THE ARCHIVE

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Court issues report on trust records
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2002

Last Updated: 3:50 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Special master Alan Balaran, the court investigator in the Individual Indian Money (IIM) class action, issued an "emergency" report today on the pending transfer of 32,000 boxes of trust fund records.

Balaran said the Office of the Special Trustee made a decision to move the records "without regard for the absence of accurate inventories, useful databases, uniform procedures or the ability to track IIM records from their point of origin to their final destination."

"In other words, without regard for the consequences," he wrote.

In order to protect harm to Indian beneficiaries whose records would be moved to a federal facility in Missouri, Balaran recommended U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth put a halt to the transfer. "The very heart of the trust is at stake," he said.

Balaran criticized officials within the OST for approving the records retirement. He launched an investigation when the decision was announced in February.

Get the Report:
Emergency Report (4/17)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Trust Reform, NCAI - http://130.94.214.68/main/pages/
issues/other_issues/trust_reform.asp