Give Auditor General the tools he needs for the job and powers to prosecute

The local watchdog integrity and transparency group tells the Government it’s time to start making public servants pay for non-compliance with the Auditor-General’s reports.                                                                                   

Chairman of Integrity Group Barbados (IGB) Andy Armstrong said on Monday that some public officers do not seem to be taking the Auditor-General seriously and should therefore be penalised.

Armstrong is adamant that the various government departments which are tardy in submitting their annual financial reports in a timely manner need to fix that as instructed by Auditor-General Leigh Trotman

“I am not saying no one is responsive, but in general, the impression we get in the public is that really, they are not taking the Auditor-General that seriously. We feel it is time there needs to be some consequences for ministries or state-owned enterprises that consistently refuse to comply with what the Auditor-General is asking,” Armstrong told Barbados TODAY.

He also suggested that the Auditor-General be given legislative power to prosecute where required.                                                                                                       

“I think that is a good idea because, as I said, I think a lot of ministries and state-owned enterprises don’t really take the office that seriously. Some state-owned enterprises and ministries may feel that they are under-resourced, but if they knew there were going to be penalties levied on them…if the permanent secretaries knew that he or she could face heavy fines or worse, then they are going to fight very hard to make sure the ministry has what it needs to comply with the Auditor-General,” the IGB chair argued.                                                                

Armstrong expressed concern that there seems to be discrimination against the private sector in how it is treated regarding its financial filings when compared to the public sector.                                                                                                               

“In the private sector we don’t have a lot of choices. There are a whole lot of things we have to file with the Financial Services Commission and with the Barbados Revenue Authority, and if we don’t file them on time, the penalties are severe. We don’t understand why there seems to be a different measure for the private sector as we do for the public sector,” Armstrong queried.

He also supported the Auditor-General’s recommendation for an enhanced Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.                                                                                                                                    

“I know that the Auditor-General made a recommendation that they need to get the Public Accounts Committee going again, and he made the recommendation that perhaps an independent senator should chair that committee…”

“In fact, we think that is a brilliant suggestion because we all know the challenge with the Leader of the Opposition, which of course there is none right now… But when you have a Leader of the Opposition chairing that commission, they are not necessarily that motivated to see it do its work. I think that is something, perhaps you might even look at in the Constitution review…try and make sure the Public Accounts Committee actually functions,” the Armstrong contended.                                                                                                       

He said while he is impressed with what Auditor-General Leigh Trotman is able to achieve with the limited resources available to him, Armstrong urged Government to give the office the adequate and required tools “so they can fully do their job”.

“We are going to call on the Government again to give him the number of auditors he needs. In the 2018 manifesto I know that was one of the promises – they would ensure the Auditor-General is fully resourced. I don’t know how many vacant positions there are now. At one point I was hearing like 30. But there are a lot of vacant positions,” the integrity group leader pointed out.   

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb