Belize Does Not Have An Auditor General
Prime Minister John Briceño responded to several pressing topics in an interview, beginning with the Senate’s recent decision to block the Auditor General Bill.
As we reported, Senator for Government Business, Eamon Courtenay, acknowledged that asking the Senate to endorse a four-month appointment for an Auditor General is less than ideal, but he stressed that it reflects the current circumstances. He reminded the Senate that Dorothy Bradley had been brought out of retirement, with her contract extended until its expiration in August, leaving the Auditor General role vacant since then. Courtenay referenced the 2001 constitutional amendment permitting the appointment of an Acting Auditor General, and the government has recommended Deputy Auditor General Maria Rodriguez for this interim position.
The Senate, however, blocked Rodriguez’s appointment.
During the interview, Briceño expressed disappointment, noting the country is currently without an Auditor General, which hampers government oversight. “I can’t understand their logic. It’s a flawed logic. The point is that we don’t have an Auditor General. We wanted to appoint one, a temporary one, once we advertise, and have people to come in and apply for that post, looking at either in house or outside of the service. And we do recognize that it is a very specialized skill, and that we may need to have to pay them more than what the service pays. I think that you need to ask the geniuses of those that voted against that. Because then, we are without an Auditor General and the work of the government continues.”
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