HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The CHamoru Land Trust Commission has filed a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General regarding the Guam Racing Federation, alleging a breach of contract of its government of Guam license for “nonpayment of rent and lease expiration,” and theft of government property, according to Attorney General Douglas Moylan.
Both matters are now under investigation and review by the AG’s office, which is working closely with the CLTC, Moylan said.
The CLTC has purview over the property on which the Guam International Raceway, run by the racing federation, operates.
The commission granted the federation a 20-year license in 1998, which allowed alterations to the property to develop racing facilities, but that expired in 2018. The federation then occupied the property on a month-to-month tenancy before the commission decided to evict the organization earlier this year for noncompliance with the agreement.
However, the GRF remains on the property and will stay until ordered by a court to leave, according to Henry Simpson, the organization’s president. The main gate to the raceway is locked, but a gate leading to Guam Adventures, a touring company that is a subtenant of the federation, was open Wednesday.
Mineral extraction
Material extraction from the raceway property has been a point of contention and concern. Government officials have described the federation’s activities as more of a quarrying or mining operation, rather than just clearing or grading, which Simpson has denied.
Simpson has said the federation’s activities have been part of the process to build up racing facilities. The Office of Public Accountability is conducting an audit on extraction at the raceway, the report of which is anticipated at the end of July.
When asked about the investigation, Simpson provided The Guam Daily Post an email from the CLTC advising the federation that the commission wouldn’t accept any monthly rental payments until issues were resolved by the CLTC board.
The issue dated back to early January, the same month the commission later issued the eviction notice, requiring the federation to vacate the property within 30 days, effective Feb. 1. The commission later delayed the eviction to allow planned events to continue at the raceway, but the delayed deadline was June 2.
Simpson also provided copies of four checks made out to the Treasurer of Guam, each for $8,000, for back rent payments to the CLTC. Each check covered two months, from March to October 2022. Simpson said the federation fell behind due to the COVID-19 pandemic and planned to be up to date by January 2023. The federation didn’t ask for a COVID-19-related deferment, Simpson said, but it had been very hard to keep up.
The Post has asked the CLTC how much in rent is owed by the Guam Racing Federation and is awaiting comment.
Simpson said he had heard a complaint to the AG might be made. The Post doesn’t have confirmation on exactly when the complaint was made.
“It’s good because there’s so much gossip about this. … I’m happy to have a public auditor come out. I’m happy to have an investigation by the attorney general. … I have so much to say. We’ve got all the engineering reports,” Simpson said.
Simpson also confirmed he will be resigning as president of the federation, as new organization members will be coming in.
Cars race down the track on May 21, 2023, at the Guam International Raceway in Yigo.
