HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Two cases involving subpoenas sent to the Office of the Governor and Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense have now been sealed at the Superior Court of Guam.
The Guam Daily Post was informed that the cases were sealed after attempting to obtain docket sheets on Monday.
The Office of the Attorney General has demanded certain records from several agencies, some of which appear related to Typhoon Mawar response and preparation. In other demands, the AG cited dates well before the storm.
The governor’s office and GHS/OCD are fighting the demands handed to them, and have asked the court in separate cases to quash their respective subpoenas.
In addition to the governor’s office and GHS/OCD, the Department of Administration, Guam Power Authority, Guam Waterworks Authority and the Consolidated Commission on Utilities were also subpoenaed.
The latter three decided to comply with the record demands, but DOA is also fighting its subpoena in court. The director of the department sought to disqualify the AG from representing the agency, stating in a declaration that he cannot proceed without counsel and does not believe the AG can represent DOA because the AG is averse to the agency.
The DOA case hasn’t been sealed, and a virtual status hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10.
In asking the court to quash the subpoenas, the governor’s office, GHS/OCD and DOA have described the demands as being “fishing expeditions” with the consequence of diverting critical resources away from typhoon response efforts.
The Guam Judicial Center is seen Sunday, July 16, 2023, in Hagåtña.
