Court of Audit on overtime issue at Ministry of Home Affairs

The Court of Audit of Suriname can be held accountable for its lackluster performance regarding the overtime payments made to employees of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Reports earlier indicated that individuals received more than double their salary in overtime. This issue took on a political dimension that ultimately cost former minister Bronto Somohardjo his position.
The matter has stirred significant controversy, as it was alleged that employees intentionally received high overtime compensations to funnel part of it into the Pertjajah Luhur party’s coffers. The chairman of the Court of Audit should have informed the President of the Republic of Suriname upon reviewing the overtime decrees. Public administration expert and former director of the Office of the President, Eugene van der San, stated on Bakana Tori via LIM FM that these decrees, detailing the overtime amounts and other allocations, should first be sent to the Court of Audit.
Van der San indicated that documents are not simply sent to this body; an investigation must be conducted regarding the legality of the funds, in accordance with the Constitution. He further asserts that the Court of Audit is capable of determining within a short period whether a decree is lawful. If so, there would be no reason to involve the Central Government Accountants Service (CLAD). In cases of irregularities, it is clear that the decree is not lawful.
Van der San expressed his bewilderment at CLAD needing a month for this process. If a genuine investigation were desired, it could have been conducted within 48 hours by scrutinizing the decrees closely. He referred to the situation as a “comedy.” According to him, what this government is doing with the administration of the country is utterly scandalous.
“If it had been Hans Prade (note: former chairman of the Court of Audit), matters would have been published long ago,” the former cabinet director stated. If the chairman of the Court of Audit had independently established that irregularities existed, findings from the Court’s leadership could determine whether or not the minister acted improperly.
Even now that Somohardjo is no longer a minister, he could still be subject to prosecution as a former minister. The President would then decide the minister’s fate. However, the public administration expert does not expect that this will come to pass. He indicated that after the appointment of a new minister for Home Affairs, the matter will likely be swept under the rug. He also pointed to the Pan American issue, which he believes is much more serious but has been forgotten. According to him, there will be no conclusive investigation into the Somohardjo case. As a result, the former minister already knows that no irregularities will be found. Van der San laments that we do not live in a civilized society or a state governed by the rule of law.

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