HONOLULU -- Both fired University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle and the UH Board of Regents have been in mediation to work out a settlement and have refused to release details of their talks. However, KITV 4 News investigative reporter Keoki Kerr has learned new details.

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UH regents are investigating whether Dobelle's wife attended a college reunion instead of going to an official conference on a trip paid for by the UH Foundation, sources told KITV 4 News. An audit revealed the foundation spent $4,100 to send his wife, Kit, to a conference at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, representing her husband. However, investigators want to know how she attended a U Mass Amherst class reunion at the same time.

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Another issue under investigation is why a UH fiscal officer who raised questions about pricey renovations to the president's College Hill mansion was forced out on administrative leave. In 2001, renovations there soared from an initial $170,000 to $1.2 million, including $500 for a birdcage.

The former fiscal officer has since filed a complaint with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission and now has a political appointment in Gov. Linda Lingle's administration, sources said.

They said the regents are also looking into about $70,000 in renovations to Dobelle's office at Bachman Hall on the UH Manoa campus.

The Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii lent the president's office the money for the work in 2001 and Dobelle's office didn't pay the money back for nearly three years, until May of this year, sources said.

That raised eyebrows because RCUH's mission is research and training, not office renovations for the president.

"Every word is untrue and it's unbelievably unfair to bring this up during a period of mediation, which the regents requested," Dobelle said. "I would love to be able to talk to you, but we made a commitment not to speak to the press during mediation."

Dobelle knew his job was in jeopardy months before he was fired. Sources said at least one regent told Dobelle to start looking for another job as far back as January of this year, six months before he was fired.

Regents discussed firing Dobelle among themselves as far back as 2002, when the board was entirely filled with appointees of former Democratic Gov. Ben Cayetano, sources said.

Dobelle has maintained he was a victim of politics because he endorsed Democrat Mazie Hirono for governor in the 2002 election over Republican Lingle.

Last month, all 10 regents voted to oust Dobelle. Six of them are Lingle appointees and the other four are appointees of Cayetano.