STATIA – As of Thursday May 14th, 2020, an independent Court of Audit has become operational on St. Eustatius. Mr. Paul Hofstra and Mr. Rolf Willemse have been sworn in by Government Commissioner of St. Eustatius, Mr. Marnix van Rij. The task of the Court of Audit is to investigate the legality, efficiency and effectiveness of the management conducted by the island government.
The Court of Audit investigates whether the governing bodies/agencies of the Public Entity (Island Council, Executive Council, and Island Governor) handle public funds accurately. The Court of Audit examines and checks whether the money is spent practically, efficiently, and cautiously. It is completely independent in the aspect that the Court of Audit decides for itself what it investigates, how it does this and how it reports its findings. The reports are presented to the Island Council (when the Council is installed) and will be available to the public. This way, reports by the audit office, not only contribute to a better functioning and transparent government, but also contributes to good checks and balances within the Public Entity of St. Eustatius. This is one of the conditions for the normalization the situation of the island where there are representatives elected and appointed locally.
Mr. Hofstra (chairman of the audit office) and Mr. Willemse are Director and Chief Audit Manager of the Court of Audit of Rotterdam. They have years of experience in conducting audits in an overly complex political-administrative environment. In addition, Mr. Hofstra has extensive research experience in the Caribbean Netherlands. They will staff the Court of Audit of St. Eustatius for a maximum of two years. During that time, replacements are recruited from the Caribbean region. These candidates will be intensively guided and supported by the newly appointed members.
