Hawaii Lt Gov Sylvia Luke indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges

Key Points:

• Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke was indicted on charges including criminal conspiracy to commit bribery and falsifying candidate committee reports related to an alleged $35,000 bribe connected to a COVID-19 testing contract.
• Local businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum, along with former state representative Ryan Yamane, Transportation Department official Ford Fuchigami, and former public utilities commission official Leo Asunción, were also indicted in the state attorney general’s bribery probe.
• The indictment claims Solidum offered Luke campaign contributions as part of an effort to influence her lawmaking and leverage her upcoming run for lieutenant governor, though Luke admits only accepting two $5,000 checks and denies wrongdoing.
• Hawaii Gov. Josh Green called for Luke’s resignation shortly after the indictment, stating it is necessary for the state to move forward amid the investigation.
• The investigation stems from a January probe by the state attorney general’s office, which was an offshoot of a federal bribery investigation involving COVID-19 testing contracts.