UK national Phil Sharman Out! Local Sonia M. Webster In! as Auditor General
However, today January 22, 2018 Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert announced that he has appointed Virgin Islander Sonia M. Webster to the post, acting in accordance with section 92 of the Virgin Islands Constitution and with the advice of the Public Service Commission.
The Office of the Auditor General and its functions are provided in the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007.
Her duties
As Auditor General, Ms Webster’s duties will entail but not be limited to planning, coordinating and supervising the activities of the Audit Department to ensure all audits are completed and are done on a timely basis, according to a Government Information Service statement.
Ms Webster will audit Government accounts produced by the Treasury Department, and inquire into and audit the financial records of Government departments and ministries plus statutory boards and trusts. She will evaluate compliance with financial legislation and regulations; provide assistance and advice to accounting officers in departments on their accounting and control system in order to improve processes across Government; prepare various reports and memoranda, as required, to ensure information gathered is being shared and reported on; and act as an advisory member of the Public Accounts Committee.
Ms Webster is no stranger to the Department as, at various periods from July 1988 – November 2015, she served as Assistant Auditor, Senior Auditor, Deputy Chief Auditor and Auditor General, where she managed the Virgin Islands (VI) Government’s Audit Office.
She is qualified
Ms Webster is a member of the International Compliance Association and holds Bachelors in Accounting (BSc) University of the West Indies; Bachelors of Law (LLb) University of London; a Diploma in Financial Crime Prevention (DipFinCrime); and CPE training in management, accounting, auditing and other areas of relevance locally, regionally, in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to GIS
Earlier this year, former Managing Director of the BVI Ports Authority and commentator Claude O. Skelton-Cline had called on the Government to appoint a local after British national Phil Sharman had fled the post following the September 2017 hurricanes.
It is unclear if Ms Webster will address Opposition Leader Hon Andrew A. Fahie’s (R1) constant allegations that the National Democratic Party Government is the most corrupt in VI’s political history and just yesterday January 21, 2018, in a First District Report, called them “thieves, crooks and political pirates.”
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