A financial audit statement is not a comprehensive operations and performance audit. 

This was the position put forward by government parliamentarian Everald Warmington, in response to comments from the Integrity Commission.

During Parliament’s deliberation on the supplementary estimates, last week Mr. Warmington declared that he will not support any more budgetary allocation for the Integrity Commission, until the anti-corruption agency is audited.  

The commission had pointed out that it submits audit statements in its annual reports to parliament, and chastised members of the Lower House for not reading the annual reports.

In a personal statement to parliament yesterday, Mr. Warmington explained that, what he called for, was an audit of the commission’s management and administrative control, among other things.

Mr. Warmington noted that the commission cannot be audited by the Auditor General, because she is a member of the commission.

He said therefore, Parliament’s oversight committee would have to select an auditor. 

He chastised the commission for what he termed “insulting” the members of the Lower House.