Questions raised by SPTC auditThe Auditor General has submitted his Audit Report to the offices of the San Pedro Town Council. This report is for the time period 2001 – 2006, audits for 2006 – 2007 and 2007 - 2008 have yet to be filed. For the time period of 2001 -2006, no audits had been performed at SPTC. After weeks of petitioning a visit to the offices of the SPTC, The San Pedro Sun was given the opportunity to take a glance at the report. SPTC granted a one hour visit to review six years of financial information while in the presence of two SPTC employees. According to Town Administrator Patricia Tillette, the employees were there so as to answer any questions that one might have.
At the moment, the Auditor General’s report is a live document, one whose process has not yet been completed. The report poses several queries to SPTC and allows them the prospect to respond. Once the responses are received, both documents are presented directly to the National Assembly.
The Audit Report loaded with information from six years of Council’s Administration from both parties, the People’s United Party, as well as the first term run by Mayor Elsa Paz and five of her six councilors. The report reveals information from tax revenues, sale of Council’s property, such as golf carts, liquor licensing board, missing vouchers and receipts that according to the Auditor General, “appeared as although no effort was made in securing these exhausted receipt books”, especially in respect to the National Emergency Management Committee (NEMO). Other concerns were the co-signing of loans at a Belizean banking institution for a certain individual, the sale of the ferry which was located at Boca del Rio Park, advances made to employees and non-employees of SPTC, as well as the purchase of office supplies.
The Audit Report loaded with information from six years of Council’s Administration from both parties, the People’s United Party, as well as the first term run by Mayor Elsa Paz and five of her six councilors. The report reveals information from tax revenues, sale of Council’s property, such as golf carts, liquor licensing board, missing vouchers and receipts that according to the Auditor General, “appeared as although no effort was made in securing these exhausted receipt books”, especially in respect to the National Emergency Management Committee (NEMO). Other concerns were the co-signing of loans at a Belizean banking institution for a certain individual, the sale of the ferry which was located at Boca del Rio Park, advances made to employees and non-employees of SPTC, as well as the purchase of office supplies.
According to Tillette, while the audit was taking place, these queries were answered to the investigators. However, the responses do not appear as a part of the report. When questioned about this, investigators told Tillette that her responses were noted and that she did not need to submit them in writing unless otherwise instructed. Tillette ended by stating that prior to the investigators’ departure, she asked them whether the receipts and paperwork on hand for the period audited should still be filed, investigators told her no. At that time, SPTC still had their old Town Hall and had not been renovated, during the process it was decided that all the paperwork for the time period 2001 -2006 be destroyed.
Efforts made to contact the Auditor General and find out when the audit report, his findings and SPTC responses would be presented to National Assembly were fruitless and it is unknown at this time if the Auditor General found the SPTC responses to be satisfactory.
The San Pedro Sun
Vol. 18, No. 43 November 6, 2008
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