PSU Says Former Auditor General Didn’t Serve the People of Belize  

The Government of Belize is looking for a new auditor general. Dorothy Bradley occupied that post for over thirteen years, after stepping down as Chief Elections Officer. In 2021, Bradley retired from the position, but a constitutional revision was made to bring her back on a two-year contract since the government could not source an adequate replacement. During her tenure, under both the Barrow and the Briceno administrations, Bradley received criticism from the unions, including the Public Service Union, for the handling of the audit on the Immigration and Lands departments. Now that Bradley’s contract has expired, the government is seeking a replacement. We spoke with President of the PSU, Dean Flowers, who reiterated his sentiment that the government needs to do better moving forward.

 

Dean Flowers, President, PSU

“The reality remains that even if we want to recognize the limited work that was done as it relates to some of the special audits, the immigration audit, the sports council audit, the, I believe it’s Julian Cho audit. These were no initiatives of Bradley. These were forced as a result of irregularities that were uncovered and therefore, she was mandated. In essence, for ten years she did nothing on her own in her capacity to address the issue of corruption. At every turn that we had a report to examine and criticize and to create or to establish a Senate select committee. It was as a result of public pressure. It was as a result of corruption that was exposed, not by her office, but rather by either whistleblower on the inside or some disgruntled citizen. And so, we really need to reflect on that.  We also need to reflect on the fact that even when these irregularities were highlighted in these specific reports that I mentioned, what became of them? Who were who was held accountable?  It demonstrates the lack of training and the lack of expertise in auditing by miss Bradley. To have ensured that we would have gotten people held accountable and convicted of the irregularities, especially where the immigration audit was concerned. That was a waste of time at the end of the day. Why? Because it was thrown out. We spent a lot of money to conduct that audit. We spent a lot of money to conduct a Senate inquiry.  And because of failure to follow simple audit procedures before you present a report, it was a waste.”