The Virgin Islands Inspector General’s Office welcomed four new employees to the organization. On St. Thomas, Alicia Bastien, Auditor and Sheniqua Lake, Auditor joined the St. Thomas office. On St. Croix, Sylene Joseph, Auditor and Ramon Castillo, Audit Coordinating Officer joined the St. Croix office.

VI Inspector General Steven van Beverhoudt served as the key-note speaker at the January 29, 2016, St. Thomas-St. John Police Academy Graduation Ceremony held at the VI National Guard Armory on St. Thomas. Inspector General van Beverhoudt stressed the importance of integrity and honesty to the new recruits. Click here to view the speech.

Virgin Islands Inspector General Steven van Beverhoudt testified before the Virgin Islands Legislature’s Committee on Government Services, Consumer and Veterans Affairs for a second time on Bill 31-0014, a proposal to give the Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General additional independence in meeting its statutory mandate of providing oversight on the operations of the Government of the Virgin Islands. Bill 31-0014 was approved by the Committee and forwarded to the full body for consideration. To view the V I Inspector General’s Comments, click here.

Virgin Islands Inspector General Steven van Beverhoudt testified before the Virgin Islands Legislature’s Committee on Rules on Bill 31-0150, a proposal to require the forfeiture of retirement benefits for elected and appointed officials upon the conviction of specific felonies. Except for two concerns with the bill as worded, Mr. van Beverhoudt supported the intent of the proposal. To see the Virgin Islands Inspector General’s testimony and Bill 31-0150, click here.

Virgin Islands Inspector General Steven van Beverhoudt presented to the Committee on Finance the proposed Fiscal Year 2016 Budget for the operations of the Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General. V. I. Inspector General van Beverhoudt is proposing a funding level of $2 million, which is equal to the level provided in Fiscal Year 2015. To see the Virgin Islands Inspector General’s Testimony, click here.

The audit and Investigative staff of the Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General attended the 26th Annual Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Global Conference in Baltimore, Maryland during the week of June 14-19, 2015. In addition to attending numerous seminars on auditing and investigative techniques, the staff was able to network with more than 3,000 of their peers from around the world.

The Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General successfully completed its external peer review as required by the Government Auditing Standards issued by the United States Government Accountability Office. To view the report, click here.

Virgin Islands Inspector General Steven van Beverhoudt wrote a guest editorial on the need for a truly independent Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General, after testifying before the Committee on Government Services, Consumer and Veterans Affairs on Bill 31-0014. To see the Virgin Islands Inspector General’s Editorial, click here.

Virgin Islands Inspector General Steven van Beverhoudt testified before the Virgin Islands Legislature’s Committee on Government Services, Consumer and Veterans Affairs on Bill 31-0014, a proposal to give the Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General (OVIIG) additional independence in meeting its statutory mandate of providing oversight on the operations of the Government of the Virgin Islands. In addition, testimony was provided on Bill 31-0039, a proposal to increase the responsibilities of the OVIIG. Bill 31-0014 was held in the Committee pending additional revisions and Bill 31-0039 was withdrawn at the request of the sponsor. To see the Virgin Islands Inspector General’s testimony and Bill 31-0014, click here.

On July 15, 2014, Steven van Beverhoudt, the Virgin Islands Inspector General, testified before the Virgin Islands Legislature’s Committee on Finance relative to the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget request for the Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General. The Fiscal Year 2015 Budget request is $1,466,164 or $98,107 more than the amount recommended in the 2015 Executive Budget submitted by the Governor of the Virgin Islands. To view the testimony, click here.