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OPA meets with MPLA on travel expenses
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Posted on May 04 2005
The Office of the Public Auditor will conduct its first meeting with the Marianas Public Lands Authority today in connection to the audit survey on MPLA’s travel expenses.
Public auditor Michael S. Sablan said different topics, including MPLA’s financial situation, professional services, legal representation, and travel expenditures, would be taken up during today’s meeting.
But Sablan said OPA would focus on the agency’s travel costs, which is the main issue in the audit survey.
In a separate interview, MPLA public information officer Ed Arriola Jr. said the authority’s comptroller and staff had been preparing all the documents related to OPA’s review. “Our books are open to OPA. We are looking forward to their coming down here,” Arriola said.
OPA commenced the audit survey following allegations that MPLA had spent over $50,000 in public funds for unwarranted trips to the United States during the months of December 2004 and January 2005.
The survey would initially cover the current fiscal year’s transactions and would be done to determine whether an audit or other type of review was necessary.
As part of the survey, OPA personnel will be examining accounting records of all travels performed by MPLA officials from Oct. 1, 2004 to the present, as well as all corresponding travel documents, such as travel authorizations, travel vouchers, trip reports, amendments, and others.
OPA will also be looking at the list of MPLA employees, consultants, and board members, and the agency’s detailed organizational chart for FY 2004 to the present.
Yesterday, Sablan reported that OPA had now done its own analysis of MPLA expenses based on information obtained through other sources.
“The fact that we’re conducting a survey does not necessarily imply wrongdoing or mishandling of funds on the part of the agency. A survey may help us determine the scope of the audit, or result in a determination that there’s no need to audit,” Sablan said.
