Auditor General Says Access Is Restricted

Heather Jacobs Matthews, the Auditor General, says the Ministry of Finance has restricted her access to Government’s Financial Information Management System despite repeated requests over the past two weeks to restore access.

The statement said:

Further, the action taken by the ministry is unconstitutional. The right to full access is embodied in the Auditor General’s mandate as established by Section 101 of the Bermuda Constitution Order 1968 and Section 14 of the Auditor General’s ACT 1990. These provisions provide the Auditor General with the authority to access all books, records and other documents relating to all accounts the Auditor General is mandated to audit.

In response to the Auditor General’s release, a Finance Ministry spokesperson said:

The Ministry of Finance can confirm today that the Auditor General has been granted access to the Government accounting system

Statement from Michael Fahy, Chairman of the Bermuda Democratic Alliance:

The governing party’s interference with the work of the Auditor General is totally unacceptable and raises very serious questions – the main one being why restrict access? It leads any right thinking person to question whether there is something to hide. The Auditor General has every right to access the information and denial of access to the Financial Information Management System would appear to be unconstitutional. When are these shenanigans going to stop? This is, after all, the very governing party that has been espousing PATI.

What faith can the people of Bermuda have that government is open and transparent when an office already enshrined in law is ignored? When the last Auditor General asked too many uncomfortable questions he was labelled a racist. What will the governing party’s smear tactics be this time around? It is clear that the pigeons are coming home to roost now. The BDA strongly urges the governing party to fully cooperate with the Auditor General and truly be open to the sunshine of public scrutiny. The tax payers of our country deserve answers and information given their debt of at least $26,000.00 per person. The BDA stands for transparency and accountability. That is the Better Way

Update July 8: Statement from the UBP’s Dr Grant Gibbons, UBP Acting Shadow Finance Minister:

The Finance Minister’s decision to block the Auditor General’s constitutionally-empowered access to Government financial information is extremely serious and deeply disturbing.

All Bermuda should take note that this type of action threatens not just the reputation of the Government of Bermuda and the wider reputation of Bermuda but also the strength of Bermuda’s Constitution – the basic law of the land.

In this instance, the Government has once again placed its interests ahead of Bermuda’s interest.

The Finance Minister’s action will be viewed with deep concern by international business for the questions it once again raises about the integrity of the Government and its commitment to democratic principles of governance.

We also believe the restrictions imposed on the Auditor General’s access to information merit a court challenge because it violates her mandate “to access all books, records and other documents…”, as prescribed by the Constitution.

The United Bermuda Party has long expressed deep concern about the Government’s management of the public purse – its reckless spending on public projects, lack of contract tendering, lack of transparency, lack of spending accountability and the shocking rise in public debt.

Today’s statement by the Auditor General once again raises questions: What is the Government hiding? What does the Finance Minister not want the people of Bermuda to see?

We cannot think of one good reason why the Auditor General should be blocked. The fact that she felt she had to go public with her concerns underscores the seriousness of the situation.

We consider this to be a completely unacceptable situation and see it as the latest development in a disappointing history in which government behaviour has frayed Bermuda’s attractiveness as an international business centre, made it more vulnerable economically and diminished long-term job prospects for many.

The Government is putting Bermuda at risk. The Island can’t afford this kind of behaviour to continue.

Full statement from the Auditor General:

#AuditorGeneral #BermudaGovernment #Financial

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