The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General has issued the audit report on the follow-up review of recommendations made in the June 2008 audit of the accounting and collection of dishonored checks. Although, with the introduction of the Tele Check system, Finance made efforts to put in place a mechanism to reduce the number of dishonored checks accepted by the Government, the department’s accounting and collection of dishonored checks remained ineffective. Our follow-up review revealed that Finance could not support as accurate the outstanding amount of $3,261,814 in 1,519 dishonored checks reportedly received by the Government from October 1, 2009 through May 31, 2011. To view the report, click here.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General and the Office of Inspector General of the Department of the Interior have  released their joint audit report on the administrative functions of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands. We found that the Legislature is not using sound business practices in its stewardship of public funds and resources, and that there is an absence of transparency, accountability, and documented procedure to prevent fraud, waste, and mismanagement. Specifically, there are a number of weaknesses related to improper use of allotted funds, such as cash advances and employee bonuses, procurement of goods and services, and security of sensitive equipment. To view the report, click here.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General has issued the audit report on collection activities at the Department of Agriculture – St. Croix. We found that the collector or assistant collectors (i) did not always issue receipts required for properly documenting revenue collections; (ii) did not use Finance issued manual receipts in the collection process; (iii) did not deposit collections timely; (iv) did not post batches of daily collections and deposit transactions to the Government’s ERP System timely and consistently; (v) did not process, for payment, batches of credit/debit card transactions daily; and, (vi) performed critical duties without management review, verification, and approval. In addition, we found that revenue collections were not properly and consistently reconciled to deposits and that the Government Accounting Manual was outdated. To view the report, click here.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General released its Fiscal Year 2012 Audit Plan. Among the various audits planned for 2012, the Inspector General’s Office hopes to complete four projects still in progress during Fiscal Year 2011, to include: the Audit of the Administrative Functions of the Virgin Islands Legislature, Audit of Collection Activities at the Department of Agriculture, Follow-up on the Disposition of Dishonored Checks, and Audit of the Loan Programs at the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority . In addition three other projects should be started during the 2012 Fiscal Year to include: the Audit of the Industrial Development Program at the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, Audit of the Land and Equipment Rental Program at the Department of Agriculture, and Audit of the Controls over the Department of Education’s School Lunch Program. To view the 2012 Audit Plan, click here.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General has issued the audit report on the operations of the Virgin Islands Lottery. Our audit disclosed that the Commission and the Executive Director did not effectively administer the operations of the Lottery. Specifically, we found that:(i) 14,251 tickets, valued at $330,734 could not be accounted for from the Lottery’s ticket inventory; (ii) eight unsold tickets with a prize value of $430,000 were missing from agency files; (iii) at least $9,460 was paid on winning tickets for which there was no evidence showing that they had been sold; (iv) there was a correlation between the high prize pay-out ratio and the potential for fraud; (v) cash advanced to the Sales Offices to pay prizes on winning tickets were not properly accounted for and reconciled; (vi) Lottery cashiers were not held accountable for shortages and overages on prize winnings; (vii) Lottery dealers were not properly monitored for compliance with license renewal and ticket quota requirements; (viii) the Lottery incurred $2,013,218 in costs not supported by contracts, paid $374,679 for contract work that was not satisfactorily completed , and paid costs overruns for two projects totaling $336,635; (ix) Lottery management acted outside the scope of its authority by exceeding their annual approved budget amounts for advertising, promotions and donations, and failed to get Commission approval for promotional contracts; and, (x) there was a breakdown in the supervisory relationship between the Commission and the Executive Director. To view the report, click here.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General has issued the audit report of the Education Initiative Fund. Among other things, we found that: (i) funds were not evenly distributed between the schools; (ii) funds were generally disbursed to schools late; (iii) schools were disbursing funds for unallowable purposes; (iv) Finance and Education did not effectively monitor schools’ uses of awarded funds to ensure proper accountability and compliance with the law; and, (v) the Virgin Islands Code contained ambiguous and contradictory statutes addressing the Fund. To view the report, click here.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General released its Fiscal Year 2011 Audit Plan. Among the various audits planned for 2011, the Inspector General’s Office hopes to complete six projects still in progress during Fiscal Year 2010, to include: the Education Initiative Fund, Administrative Functions of the V. I. Lottery, Administrative Functions of the Virgin Islands Legislature, Audit of Selected Programs at the Department of Agriculture, Follow-up on Outstanding Audit Recommendations, and Review of Internal Controls over the Use of ARRA Funds. In addition two other projects should be started during the 2011 Fiscal Year to include: Activities of the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority and Audit of the Controls over the Department of Education’s School Lunch Program. To view the 2011 Audit Plan, click here.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General has issued the audit report of collection activities at the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. We found that supervisory personnel were not regularly reviewing the collection process; there were weaknesses in internal controls; and, collection methods and processes varied among sites and collectors.  To view the report, click here.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General has issued the audit report of transactions of the Governor’s Special Events Fund. We found that the checking account was not officially established by the Department of Finance and was used: (I) for transactions other than its purpose of financing special events; (ii) to pay for professional services to an individual without a contract; and, (iii)to inappropriately pay Government employees outside of the Government payroll system.  To view the report, click here.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General has issued the audit report of the funding for the abandoned vehicle program on St. Thomas. The audit found that internal controls were not implemented to ensure that established Government rules and regulations were followed and the financial integrity of the program followed. As a result, a fraud scheme was perpetrated costing the Government $1,903,684. To view the report, click here.