Ex-Kickapoo Tribe officials respond to lawsuit over budget

HORTON, Kan. (AP) – Two former officials of the Kickapoo Tribal Council have responded to a lawsuit accusing them of misleading the council into passing an unbalanced budget.

Former tribal chairman Clifford “Steve” Cadue claims the lawsuit is a political stunt by current chairman Lester Randall ahead of an upcoming tribal election. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Randall filed the lawsuit in tribal court last month against Cadue, accusing him of committing financial wrongdoing and falsifying meeting minutes.

Former tribal treasurer Bobbi Darnell also is named in the lawsuit. Randall accuses her of failing to notify council members of a revenue shortfall and failing to pass a balanced budget.

Both Cadue and Darnell argue that the claim is baseless and wrongfully assigns criminal conduct to them.

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Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com