The governor of the Northern Marianas, Eloy Inos, is to ask for the extradition of his predecessor once he gets the go ahead from the territory's Attorney General.
The former governor, Benigno Fitial, is facing criminal charges for his role in an alleged conspiracy to shield the convicted former attorney general Edward Buckingham from being served a penal summons in August 2012.
Mr Fitial is believed to be living in the Philippines.
The CNMI's House of Representatives last week adopted a resolution asking the governor to initiate the extradition process for Mr Fitial, who stepped down days before the start of his impeachment trial at the Senate last year.
Governor Inos says he has referred the resolution to the Attorney General's office.
He also reiterated international extradition is a matter for the federal government.
