by Ken Quintanilla

Guam - The Guam Ancestral Lands Commission has been ordered to desist and refrain from taking any action on matters related to the estate of Jose Martinez Torres.

The GALC was scheduled to hold a hearing on Wednesday to hear evidence from the parties whether the estate has a valid claim to the property that was previously given through a conditional deed.

The commission in 2006 gave the estate more than 250 acres of land on the condition that they went to the superior court to determine if they had a valid claim to the property.

The estate instead included the property in a probate proceeding and sold the land for $19 million.

The Attorney General's Office then filed suit to get the property back as well as the money the estate was paid. Because the Superior Court of Guam found that it lacked jurisdiction, it kicked the matter back to the commission to decide whether there was a valid claim.

The GALC was supposed to discuss the case on Wednesday but with Superior Court Judge Vern Perez's order, the Commission is prohibited from any further action until a final judgment is issued in a related civil suit.

The court meanwhile has ordered the GALC to appear in court on December 20 to explain why they should not be permanently restrained from taking any further proceedings in the matter.