Before auditors can say whether taxpayers got value for money at the Ministry of Defense, they must first dig through a massive paper trail. The Office of the Auditor General is now reviewing procurement practices, store management, and possible conflicts of interest involving suppliers to the ministry. Prime Minister John Briceño has asked for the audit to go as far back as 2015, but Auditor General Maria Rodriguez says her team is focusing first on the more recent transactions that raised public concern. And according to Rodriguez, the investigation is much wider than many may think. Here’s how she explained the scope of the audit.
Maria Rodriquez, Auditor General
“I think some people are going with just the conflict of interest audit. We’re not just doing the conflict of interest, the alleged conflict of interest. We are focusing on three lines of inquiry: which is how the bidding process happened, the purchasing situation on, as you all have displayed, those short payments that have been occurring and as well we’re looking at the management of stores. So it’s a big audit but we plan to complete it and ensure that we submit information, valuable information regarding what happened at the Ministry of Defense.”
Paul Lopez
“I would imagine this audit may require you and your team to ask a lot of questions of a lot of people.”
Maria Rodriguez
“Yes, it’s part of the audit process. We meet with different persons. We meet with different stakeholders, key players in all this process. So the list is getting big.”
Paul Lopez
“In terms of the Prime Minister’s request to take the audit back to 2015, what are we looking at from that aspect?”
Maria Rodriguez
“I did receive a request from the Financial Secretary and I responded saying that I do not have a problem going back ’15, ’16, but our priority is our ongoing audit at this point. So that audit can come after we completed this portion of the audit, which what I explained to you, the bidding, the purchasing, and the management of stores for more recent years.”
The audit beyond 2020 would seek to uncover potential wrongdoings under the UDP administration.
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