HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Guam Ethics Commission has been accepting complaints from the community about potential government ethics violations for more than a year now. By this week, commissioners will review and decide their first summary of opinions, as well as act on a second advisory opinion and several cases.
The Guam Daily Post requested some statistical information from the commission, including the number of complaints received, the number of complaints dismissed, the number of complaints still pending adjudication and the number of complaints that have moved on to investigation, as well as a breakdown of how many complaints are in what stage of investigation.
Jesse Quenga, the executive director of the Ethics Commission, said the commission takes prudent measures to keep matters confidential and to comply with restrictions regarding the release of information to the public.
“We expect to issue an annual report that is required to be published by our government ethics law after the commission meeting (July 14). The report will provide public information regarding the matters we have handled,” Quenga said.
The commission began accepting complaints in March 2022. By September 2022, the commission had received about 25 complaints, with Quenga stating at that time that the commission was receiving an average of five new complaints each month.
The law governing standards of conduct for government officials and employees also established the Guam Ethics Commission. The law states the commission shall investigate charges on a confidential basis. The law also requires yearly summaries of decisions, advisory opinions and informal advisory opinions.
Ethics cases are discussed in closed proceedings during commission meetings.
In a meeting in December 2022, the commission came out of closed proceedings to adjudicate cases, most of which were dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. For a few cases, the commission decided to proceed, issuing notices of alleged violations, though few details behind those cases were provided.
While the commission began accepting community complaints last year, it actually held its inaugural meeting in September 2019. However, the commission experienced setbacks without the funding needed to support operations. That first meeting had been a long time coming, as Guam law reestablishing the commission took effect in 2004.
The Guam Ethics Commission holds its regular meeting on Jan. 31, 2023, at First Hawaiian Bank in Hagåtña. The commission will review and decide its first summary of opinions, as well as act on a second advisory opinion and several cases.
