Annual report 2022

Dear reader,

Every year the Court of Audit of St. Eustatius submits a report on its activities to the Island Council, covering the period from January to December of the same year.

It generally includes an introductory summary and information about the Court's organization, jurisdiction and audit work, together with reports of visits, events and lectures, the Court’s publications, and administrative and budgetary standing.

In the year 2022, the focus of the Court of Audit St. Eustatius was to lay the bricks that would define the foundation of the organization, paving the way for the accountability and reputation of the institution moving forward. This entailed establishing internal procedures, function profiles, code of ethics and proper communication channels to reach the community. This is next to the legal obligations of the Court of Audit to execute at least 1 audit per year.

The Court of Audit also faced its fair share of challenges in 2022. New members were appointed in March 2022 and soon after it was apparent that the fundamental structure of the Court of Audit as an institution was absent. As with any edifice, in the absence of a proper foundation its stability and integrity cannot be guaranteed for the long-term.

It was therefore of the highest priority for the new members of the Court of Audit to have at least the fundamentals in place that could provide a good hold of the structure to assess its sustainability with view on human resources, public finances, integrity, and accountability.

Besides laying these fundamental blocks, auditing remains the core mandate of the institution, and in 2022 the Court of Audit also proposed a focus audit in which relevant information would be collected from the public sector of St. Eustatius. This focus audit will contribute to the establishment of a baseline on the structure, budget allocation and level of financial reporting by the different public departments and subsidized organizations (NGOs and government corporations).

This baseline will be of added value to Statians, as this will provide a concise overview of how the funds are allocated and increase the understanding of the current situation of St. Eustatius in an accessible and simple form. In addition, this overview will also facilitate new members in the future on how the public sector of St. Eustatius is structured, how the budget is allocated under the different departments and the level of financial reporting by departments.

The work in 2022 considered foremostly the fundamental blocks of the institution and preparation for a focus audit. The preparation for the focus audit entailed the submission of a research plan to the Island Council, drafting of potential Terms of Reference (which can be adapted for future public tendering should audit be outsourced), and the establishment of contact with the different public departments via in-person meetings in St. Eustatius.

During the stakeholders’ meetings, the Court of Audit collected preliminary information that will be used for the focus audit.

The Court of Audit St. Eustatius hopes that with the foundation laid down, that this could result in the establishment of a clear structure, framework, tasks, and budget of the Court of Audit in the upcoming year, so that the institution can primarily focus on its audit work.

The Court of Audit St. Eustatius aims comply with satisfaction its function, all with the aim to benefit Statians with a well-established and stable Court of Audit.

On behalf of the Court of Audit St. Eustatius

Lay Hing de Kort-Yee

Chairperson