HONOLULU (KHON2) — Mufi Hannemann resigned Thursday as chair of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) Board, following ongoing questions raised by a state audit about discounted services at the Hawaii Convention Center involving his non-profits.
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The audit, which led to referrals to the state attorney general and the ethics commission, did not allege fraud.
However, concerns were raised regarding $14,000 worth of discounted or comped services, including space and catering, for events organized by the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association and Pacific Century Fellows—both of which are led by Hannemann.
At Thursday’s HTA board meeting, Hannemann announced his resignation, explaining that continued questioning from fellow board members about the discounted services left him with no choice…