1 week ago
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Auditor General Maria Rodriguez says her office has been receiving the cooperation it needs from officials at the Ministry of Defence in its reviews of the Ministry’s procurement and payment processes. The review follows weeks of public scrutiny over payments made during the period when Oscar Mira served as Minister of State for defence. Questions arose after leaked SmartStream records reportedly showed hundreds of payments to suppliers connected to Mira’s relatives. Rodriguez says her team is currently carrying out the preliminary review and research necessary to understand how the procurements were conducted and how the related payments were processed. While the Office of the Prime Minister initially indicated that the exercise was expected to take three months, Rodriguez says that timeline will not be met. She explained that the amount of information to be reviewed and the need for a thorough examination mean the process will take longer than originally anticipated.
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “So we made contact with the Ministry of Defense which is the proper audit process, to inform them that we’re coming in. We submitted our engagement letter and we are presently doing analysis. We have obtained all our records from the Ministry of Defense, whatever was available we obtained and now we’re doing analysis of those documents. So, auditing might sound quick, a quick financial check but our office doesn’t do just a quick financial check. We go to the extent of looking at compliance and performance to make sure that the laws were followed, regulations were followed whenever you make a payment we want to ensure that you follow the policy.”
Reporter: Was there any difficulty collaborating with the Ministry of Defense? Have they been forthcoming with all information requested?
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “Yes, we’ve had cooperation from the Ministry from the start. We initiated the records retrieval process quite early in the audit, so we were able to obtain what was available and we’re now doing analysis of that information.”
Reporter: The Prime Minister had initially stated he wants it done in three months. Is that possible for the Auditor General’s office?
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “So what we’re doing and to make sure we have something, it’s not just about what the Prime Minister wants, it’s about what the public needs to see happen. And so we are very much interested in confirming any allegation that has been brought up. And if it is confirmed, then the quicker we submit a report the easier it is for the decision makers to do something about it. And so we are going to try our best to work on the priority alleged conflicts of interest before we move on to an overall audit and include the scope from ’15/’16.”
Reporter: So could you at least give a timeline as to when you do believe everything would be completed?
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “Oh, everything it would… no, everything would definitely be more than three months.”
The review is expected to examine contracts, invoices, payment records and the approval procedures used by the Ministry. Investigators will also have to determine whether the purchases followed the applicable financial regulations and whether the goods and services paid for were properly supplied. AG Rodriguez says they are currently investigating the alleged conflict of interest among other allegations of wrongdoings.
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “Because we ensure to split our reports by lines of inquiry, for example I can give you an example. We are presently looking at bidding, how the bidding went at the Ministry of Defense. That can be met in the next two months. But if we have to look at how the purchasing happened, the analysis of each transaction, management of stores, how were these things received at the individual entities now that takes time. So what we’re doing, we’re making sure to work on the conflict of interest, the alleged conflict of interest, before we move down to the overall for the ministry.”
Reporter: The prime minister stated that he would like you guys to look as far back as 2015. Is that something that you guys are doing?
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “We did get the request from the financial secretary, however for us it is more important to look at the priority areas now, which is what has been in the media. We can do the 15-16, we have agreed to do so, but that will have to be after we complete this priority audit that’s out there right now.”
Reporter: Could you say who is on the auditing team and maybe their qualifications as well, just to dispel any doubt?
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “So I won’t say who because I need to protect my staff but I can tell you that the lead supervisor is a certified fraud examiner from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners in Houston and the other officers all of them have a bachelor’s in accounting.”
Reporter: And then do you guys also recommend who needs to go in suspension during the process?
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “No we cannot do that. We don’t have the power to do that. We can only recommend for the CEO to take the matter to either court or take the matter for disciplinary action. That’s all we can do and it’s up to the executive to take it on really.”
Reporter: Do you guys do interviews as well or is it just strictly?
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “No, no, we do interviews. The added process consists of so many things. Document review, interviews, observation, it entails analysis, data analysis. It’s a lot going on.”
Reporter: And everyone you’ve interviewed has been cooperative so far?
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor General: “We have not started interviews. We need to be very prepared before we meet with anyone.”
No revised completion date has been announced.
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