Governor Asks Public Auditor to Audit Office of the Attorney General

Hagåtña, Guam - Today, Governor Leon Guerrero wrote to Public Auditor Benjamin Cruz, formally requesting a financial audit by the Office of Public Accountability (OPA) of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). This request follows the Governor's letter to Attorney General Doug Moylan asking him to agree to the appointment of a Special Attorney General or Special Prosecutor to investigate over $1.5 Million Dollars on contracts awarded by the OAG to private attorneys through illegal procurements or without procurements at all.

The Governor noted that, in the past, the Public Auditor had expressed reluctance to audit AG Moylan out of concern that such audits might negatively impact their relationship. On other occasions, the Public Auditor has also indicated that audits of the OAG were not a priority because the Public Auditor did not believe enough money was at issue or significantly impacted the community.

Recently, the Public Auditor has also said he believes an OPA audit of the OAG would be "redundant" of the Governor's recent civil action seeking a special assistant attorney general or a special prosecutor to investigate AG Moylan's illegal hiring practices before the Superior Court of Guam.

In her letter, the Governor made clear that the Public Auditor's chief responsibility is not to pander to the Attorney General but to protect the people of Guam.

"The Public Auditor should not let his fear of reprisal from the Attorney General compromise his independence and objectivity as an auditor," said Governor Leon Guerrero. "This Attorney General has abused his access to public funds for years, both through unlawful hiring and promotion practices and illegal procurements. Meanwhile, the Public Auditor, whose job is to audit questionable expenditures of public funds, chooses to sit on his hands for fear of an audit affecting his relations with the AG."

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