In his letter addressed to the President, Delegate Jonathan Isechal said that considering the importance of the position and the need to insulate it from politics, it is in the best interest of the Republic that a full-fledged Public Auditor be appointed as soon as possible.
Palau has been without a full-fledged Public Auditor for the last 10 years.
“There is no reason to wait any longer to appoint a Public Auditor for the Republic. The position is an important one. Its role auditing the disbursement of all public funds is essential to maintaining transparency and public accountability of the government,” part of the letter reads.
“Additionally, it is important to fill the post to communicate to the world that Palau values and prioritizes good governance,” it added.
For the past 10 years the position has been occupied and duties of a Public Auditor have been performed by Saturino Tewid in an acting capacity.
Tewid was not originally eligible to fill the role of Public Auditor because he is not a certified public accountant, as required by law.
But with the passage of RPPL 7-25 in January 2007, Tewid’s years of service, successfully filling the role of Acting Public Auditor, qualified him for appointment to the full position.
But despite the fact, as pointed out by Isechal in his letter, the position has remained unfilled and Tewid continues to head that office in an acting capacity where he could be replaced anytime by the appointing power.
Isechal said the situation continues to compromise the independence of the Public Auditor’s Office and the one heading it, and should be rectified with the appointment of a full-fledged Public Auditor.
The Public Auditor is protected from political reprisal for his work, in that he or she can only be removed for cause, with the approval of two-thirds of both houses of Congress. An acting Public Auditor has no such protection, it was learned.
“Accordingly, to allow the Public Auditor’s Office to operate independently with the protection envisioned by law, we must make sure that it is lead by a properly-appointed Auditor,” the letter concludes.
Under RPPL 7-25, the authority to appoint a Public Auditor rests with the President, subject to confirmation by the Olbiil Era Kelulau.
A Public Auditor functions as the head of Public Auditor’s Office.
