Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke Indicted on Bribery Charges by State Attorney General’s Office

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and four others were indicted on July 24 on bribery and related charges in connection with a lengthy investigation carried out by the state’s attorney general into allegations Luke accepted contributions from a businessman to her campaign in exchange for a COVID-19 testing contract

A grand jury returned a 12-count indictment that charged Luke, a Democrat, with criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying campaign committee reports, said state Attorney General Anne E. Lopez in a news conference and a criminal indictment that was released on July 24.

“Our investigators and prosecutors remain fully engaged and focused on bringing this investigation to a conclusion,” said Lopez, also a Democrat, in a statement released by her office.

“They are doing the complex work necessary to ensure our decisions are grounded in verified facts and supported by the law. We remain committed to completing this investigation as expeditiously and responsibly as possible.”

Democratic Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told media outlets on Saturday that he thinks Luke should resign from her position now that the indictment has been handed down.

“The Attorney General announced significant developments in her department’s corruption investigation and has provided an update on their findings,” the governor in a statement. “The Lieutenant Governor needs to consider formally resigning to address this matter and so that the state of Hawai’i can move forward.”

Lopez’s office said that the investigation into Luke and the others is still active, adding that it cannot offer more details about evidence, investigative procedures, or people who were interviewed in connection to the case.

Earlier this year, the lieutenant governor rejected the allegations of bribery in a social media post. She also posted a link to a website that she said provided a timeline about campaign contributions that were investigated. The website is no longer active.

“I have never personally enriched myself or any campaign supporter. I have never granted special favors to a contributor,” Luke said in the post, also releasing a video denying the claims. “I have never intentionally violated campaign finance rules.”

Court filings released on July 24 alleged that Tobi Solidum, a businessman, had sought to obtain COVID-19 test site funding in 2022. Luke, who was a state lawmaker at the time, was allegedly promised $35,000 by Solidum, the filing said.

Luke took a leave of absence in April amid the investigation into the campaign finance case, according to Green, who named Keith Regan as the acting lieutenant governor. At the time, Green did not provide any additional details.

Solidum was also indicted as part of the investigation, along with former state lawmaker Ryan Yamane, Hawaiian Transportation Department official Ford Fuchigami, and Leo Asunción, a former public utilities commission official, the court filing said.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. David Louie, an attorney that Luke retained earlier this year, according to local media reports, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

It’s not clear if the other four people named in the indictment have legal representation.