On November 23rd, 2011 the General Audit Chamber of St. Maarten initiated an audit focusing upon the lawfulness of the spending on personnel expenditure for the year 2011. This final report contains the results, conclusions and recommendations of that investigation.
The board represented by Acting Chairman Mr. Ronald Halman, member Mr. Alphons Gumbs and deputy member Mr. Daniel Hassell accompanied by Mrs. Joane Dovale-Meit (Secretary General) and Ms. Melisah Gomes (senior policy worker) presented the report to the Parliament. The current board's tenure ends as of August 23rd and the presentation was meant as a completion of its first regulatory audit activity.
Mr. Halman recommended that Parliament, after careful study of the almost 100-page report, schedule a follow up meeting with the General Audit Chamber to discuss the details.
The main question for the audit relates to the extent payments of wages to personnel at all seven ministries including the secretariat of the High Councils of State and other advisory bodies were lawful in 2011. Four phases were followed in the conduct of the investigation. Firstly, the legal framework was reviewed, followed by an audit of the personnel files and an audit of the salary calculations. Lastly, the Audit Chamber evaluated the administrative processes at the various entities related to personnel.
During a short PowerPoint presentation, the General Audit Chamber provided the headlines of the results contained in the report including the recommendations to government. The report is available on the General Audit Chamber's website www.arsxm.org.
Mr. Halman indicated that based on the initial findings, further study is being carried out in terms of pensions. The report on this matter will be presented later in the year.
