Arkansas committee concludes probe of Corrections Board’s hiring of outside counsel • Arkansas Advocate
An Arkansas legislative panel will meet today to vote on next steps after concluding its investigation of potential violations of procurement law by the state Board of Corrections. The Joint Performance Review Committee has spent three meetings this month examining the board’s hiring of attorney Abtin Mehdizadegan to represent it in litigation with the state. […]
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Lawmakers criticize Arkansas Board of Corrections members, attorney over altered contract • Arkansas Advocate
Arkansas lawmakers spent six hours Thursday raking state Board of Corrections leaders and the board’s outside attorney over changes to the lawyer’s contract and how the board conducts its business. Members of the Joint Performance Review Committee criticized prison board chairman Benny Magness and secretary Lee Watson over the handling of the lawyer’s hiring. They […]
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Legislative panels to probe Arkansas Board of Corrections contract, practices • Arkansas Advocate
State lawmakers on Friday initiated a pair of investigations into the Arkansas Board of Corrections over the prison oversight panel’s hiring of special counsel to sue the state. The Legislative Joint Auditing Committee will investigate the origins of the board’s contract with the Hall Booth Smith law firm and attorney Abtin Mehdizadegan; Joint Performance Review […]
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Arkansas Board of Corrections to probe changes to special counsel contract • Arkansas Advocate
Arkansas’ prison board will investigate when and how changes were made to a legal contract without the knowledge of state procurement officials. State legislators, prison leaders and financial officials were perplexed Tuesday about unusual language inserted into an agreement between the Arkansas Department of Corrections/Board of Corrections and the Hall Booth Smith law firm that […]
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