Thorne: Understaffing at Auditor General’s Office threatens public accountability

The government risks losing vital oversight of public finances due to persistent understaffing at the Auditor General’s department, Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne has warned, raising concerns that government spending could go unchecked and public funds left vulnerable to misuse.

He told journalists on Wednesday that the constitutional office tasked with investigating State finances lacks the resources it needs to scrutinise government operations properly. He further urged the Mia Mottley administration to ensure the department is strengthened and well-resourced—especially in light of the upcoming retirement of Auditor General Leigh Trotman.

“This department is a constitutional office. It is there to defend the integrity of the people’s money,” Thorne said.

“When it is understaffed, the people of Barbados are not being treated well. They are being cheated.”

He recalled attending Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meetings in Parliament in which both Trotman and his deputy pleaded for additional staff to meet the growing workload.

“Mr Trotman made a plea to us for more staff. He said that the department is understaffed. This is an extremely important department… and they are neglecting it,” Thorne added.

The opposition leader cautioned that without adequate staffing, the auditor general cannot properly monitor public spending—giving the government free rein to operate “without scrutiny, without supervision, without investigation”.

He acknowledged Trotman’s pending retirement, praising him as a public servant of integrity who consistently rose above partisanship to serve the interests of Barbadians.

Trotman, who has served as auditor general for nearly two decades, is widely credited for producing thorough and at times uncomfortable annual reports that have flagged issues with taxation, accounting practices and inefficiencies across a range of government departments and State enterprises.

Noting that Trotman had demonstrated rare courage in exposing financial impropriety across multiple administrations, Thorne said: “We want to pay tribute to Mr Trotman as an upstanding public servant who has not served partisan interests.”

“He has served the interests of Barbadians… with the professional integrity and the courage that anyone functioning in the public service now certainly needs.”

He cited the auditor general’s most recent report, which raised concerns about the Housing Opportunity, Prosperity and Empowerment (HOPE) programme, as a fitting “swan song” for Trotman’s career—one that, according to Thorne, reflects poorly on the current administration’s handling of public housing.

“The HOPE report does not speak well of this government’s activity in relation to housing but the government’s financial impropriety is not limited to HOPE—it extends across several enterprises in which it has been involved,” he said, further accusing the government of weakening financial oversight by shutting down investigations into the HOPE programme through its control of the Public Accounts Committee.

Thorne urged the administration to ensure that Trotman is replaced by someone with similar independence and commitment to transparency, stating: “We want to ask the government to ensure that Mr Trotman is well replaced.” (SM)