Public Auditor advocates for investing in public trust

Benjamin F. Cruz, Guam's public auditor addressed the Guam Chamber of Commerce during their membership meeting at the Hilton Guam Resort and Spa on Wednesday, April 24.

Cruz outlined the mission of the Office of Public Accountability, which is to independently conduct audits and administer procurement appeals to safeguard public trust and promote good governance for the people of Guam.

Cruz said that community concerns often guide the Office of Public Accountability’s audit priorities. Including the compensation package at the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority, spurred by whistleblower emails.

Cruz said, “We receive whistleblower notifications on our website almost weekly about somebody saying something about compensation at the hospital. So, we have started the audit.”

 The OPA has eight ongoing government agency performance audits and six planned audits for 2024.

In terms of enforcement, Cruz explained the process of addressing audit findings and collaborating with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) on potential legal actions related to corruption allegations.

Cruz said, “According to the statute, the way the OPA is set up, agencies are supposed to comply within six months of us issuing a performance audit.” He said the office then follows up with the director of the agency to make sure they are addressing the issues. If the issues haven’t been addressed, they follow up again to find out why the issues haven’t been addressed.

Despite the legislature calling to grant prosecution authority to the OPA, Cruz advocated for continued collaboration with the OAG. He said, “If the problem is to be of consequence and should be prosecuted, then we would refer to the attorney general’s office.”

Cruz said the legislature wanted to give the OPA the authority to prosecute. “Unlike most government agencies, I’m not trying to expand. I’ve asked that the legislature, please do not appropriate more money to hire more attorneys for our office.”

He said it’s not enough that the legislature supports his office financially but more so, supports the legal teams of the OAG and the accounting divisions of the Department of Administration and the Department of Education.

He said it’s important that those agencies have competent accountants and managers. Because they handle billions of dollars in government funds. Cruz said, “Unless you invest money in the accounting divisions in those various agencies, you’re going to have problems.” mbj