The government of the Virgin Islands has operated without filling one of its most important positions relative to government accountability for eight months, however Governor Albert Bryan has told the Consortium that this position, the V.I. Inspector General, will be filled before the end of summer.
The Office of the Inspector General, or OIG, has been without an inspector general since former IG Steven van Beverhoudt spent his last day at the OIG on November 30. Since then, the important office has been in limbo and without a vision to move forward on the important role of investigating government departments and agencies, semi-autonomous and autonomous operations.
Relative to a selection, Mr. Bryan said he was considering a number of individuals and that before summer ends he would announce his pick. "I'm looking at several people," he said. "We will fill [the position] before the end of summer." Summer ends on September 22 this year.
The OIG says its mission is to "promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness, and to further the prevention of fraud, waste and abuse in the administration of the programs and operations of the Government of the United States Virgin Islands."
Its latest issued audit report was published on April 26 and probed the Juan F. Luis Hospital's contract administration. The audit was commissioned under the tenure of Mr. Beverhoudt, and it was unclear as to whether the OIG had undertaken any new work since the former IG's — who spent over 30 years at the Office of the Inspector General — departure.
According to a description on its website, the Office of the Inspector General, formerly the V.I. Bureau of Audit and Control, was created on December 14, 1999, with the passage by the V.I. Legislature of Act 6333. As a separate, independent agency of the government of the Virgin Islands, the O.I.G. says it functions "as the major auditing arm of the government, and through the Act it was given power to conduct audits and investigations of programs and operations of the V.I. government; provide leadership in coordinating and recommending policies to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the operations of the V.I. government; investigate and recommend policies to prevent fraud, waste and abuse; refer criminal conduct to the Attorney General for criminal action; and to bring monetary losses to the attention of the Attorney General for appropriate recovery by civil suit."
One of the O.I.G.'s biggest audits was of the V.I. Casino Control Commission, which resulted in the arrest and conviction of former V.I.C.C.C. Chairperson Violet Anne Golden and co-conspirator Stephanie Barnes. Other big hits include the inspection of the Alternative Investment Program Administered by the Government Employees Retirement System; and the recent audit of WAPA's propane conversation contract with Vitol. See all the reports here.
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