AUGUSTA (AP) – Legislative Republicans on Monday questioned the Baldacci administration’s oversight of the mail-order pharmacy program PIN Rx following reports that it is under investigation for its involvement in the sale of controlled drugs over the Internet.

The two ranking Republican state senators asked why state agencies weren’t monitoring the Indian Island-based program more closely to make sure it is run legally and effectively.

Senate Minority Leader Carol Weston of Montville also submitted a freedom of information request to Gov. John Baldacci seeking public documents relating to PIN Rx.

“As legislators, one of our responsibilities is to ask the governor important questions on behalf of the people of Maine,” Weston said.

“The people of Maine deserve a series of explanations.”

A statement from Baldacci’s office said the details of any pending investigation by the state Pharmacy Board and identity of anyone involved in any investigation are confidential under state law.

“Therefore, it is inappropriate for the Governor’s Office to comment on the substance of the alleged investigation,” said the statement.

The mail-order operation was established in 2005 with the help of Baldacci, a Democrat. The state helped the Penobscot Indian Nation obtain grants to set up the company that supplies drugs to clients of the state Medicaid program.

Media reports say a complaint that PIN Rx was selling controlled substances through questionable Internet sites led to a Maine Board of Pharmacy investigation. The state Attorney General’s Office later offered PIN Rx a consent agreement that includes an admission of wrongdoing, loss of license and a fine of $183,000. PIN Rx turned it down, saying there was no knowledge of wrongdoing.

Assistant Senate Minority Leader Rchard Rosen of Bucksport said the Republicans’ questions focus on the program’s oversight and whether it has generated savings as promised when it was launched.

But Weston also said the governor should tell when he first knew of an investigation, and when he was planning to tell people of the state.

Baldacci’s statement says that while the administration provided technical assistance so the program could obtain a federal grant, “the relationship between the state of Maine and PIN Rx does not include Internet prescriptions.”

The state’s Medicaid program, known as MaineCare, has entered into contracts with two mail-order providers, one of which is PIN Rx. Baldacci said the contracts allow nearly 3,000 MaineCare recipients to order and refill their prescriptions through the mail, saving the state more than $278,000 since July 1, 2006.

“MaineCare reviews all prescriptions for its recipients, including those filled by mail-order and retail pharmacies, before payment is made to ensure that only approved medications are dispensed,” the governor’s statement said.

AP-ES-02-05-07 1734EST