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by pltm
(PLTM) - The government's move to hire a firm to assist with preparing the information for the financial audits for the Auditor General is being questioned by the opposition.
During his budget address yesterday, January 16, Premier and Finance Minister, Hon. Dr. D. Orlando Smith made another promise, announcing that the outstanding financial audit reports will now be ready before the end of this budget cycle. He further disclosed that government has engaged the services of BDO.
"I am happy to tell you that last week after completion of the critical 2012 report, which we made a number of corrections in our accounts coming out of the PwC recommendation, we have now signed an agreement with the firm BDO to assist the Treasury in preparing the subsequent reports for submission to the Auditor General," he said.
"I expect that audited accounts will be brought current by the end of this budget cycle," he added.
He said that the 2012 audit report will be submitted to the House of Assembly shortly.
However, this did not sit well with Hon. Andrew Fahie, Chairman of the Opposition Virgin Islands Party (VIP).
"The National Democratic Party has now presented its sixth successive budget address, and in so doing, has complied with section #104 of the VI Constitution Order 2007. I can safely summarize the 2017 budget, which ironically is entitled "Charting Our Course: Positioning the Virgin Islands for the Future", as one of disappointment. The requirements of the Constitution cannot and must not be subjectively complied," he said.
Hon. Fahie argued, "Not a single substantive statement has been made by the Premier with regards to the effects of not presenting, in accordance with section #109 of the VI Constitution, to the House of Assembly, the audited financial statements of 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and now 2016. Our current Financial Secretary has been engaged in his post by the National Democratic Party since 2004."
He went on to state that the findings of the "Always-present-PwC is grossly questionable and the hiring, once again, of BDO will be scrutinized one paragraph at a time."
Hon. Fahie reminded that Governor John Duncan has been asked by him (Fahie) to use the power of his office to cause the audits, already completed, to be presented to the House of Assembly.
"It is gross and not acceptable that, in accordance with the timetable announced here today by the Premier, this critical Constitutional task will not be completed prior to His Excellency's exit from the Territory by mid-2017, and will be left to his successor. Promises have been made before by the Premier and promises have been broken. There is absolutely no signal that this is not yet another empty promise," Hon. Fahie said.
The VIP Chairman indicated that in order for anyone to chart the course for any future destination, they must be clear of their present position.
"The people of the Virgin Islands are tired of fancy speeches with some well-intended goals, but void of transparency and accountability. We cannot continue to put on put. This is now eleven budgets totaling approximately $3.3 billion dollars with absolutely no accurate account of how the people's money has been spent for the last ten budgets, and now adding an eleventh one," he lamented.
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