Dominican Audit Chamber faces scrutiny for inefficiency and misuse of funds

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Alliance Against Corruption (ADOCCO) has leveled serious accusations against the country’s Audit Chamber, alleging significant misuse of public funds. According to the organization, the chamber has spent over RD$140 million on each of the fewer than 40 audits conducted in the past four years.

The Audit Chamber, an independent government body responsible for overseeing public spending, has received substantial budgetary allocations in recent years. However, ADOCCO claims that the chamber has failed to deliver commensurate results, with many audits remaining incomplete or producing inconclusive findings.

Julio César De la Rosa Tiburcio, president of ADOCCO, criticized the chamber’s performance, stating, “The Audit Chamber has received hundreds of millions of pesos in recent years, but the results of their work simply do not justify the expenditure. It appears that the chamber has been more focused on protecting the interests of corrupt officials than on serving the public interest.”

A closer look at the chamber’s activities reveals a concerning pattern of inefficiency and lack of accountability. In 2021, despite receiving a budget of RD$1,673,918,968.58, the chamber managed to complete only 10 audits, many of which were conducted on institutions that had already been audited in previous years.

The situation worsened in 2022, when the chamber selected 79 institutions for audits but failed to complete a single one. Instead, the chamber prioritized concluding investigations requested by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA) and completing audits from previous years.

ADOCCO has called for a thorough investigation into the Audit Chamber’s operations and for those responsible for any misuse of public funds to be held accountable. The organization has also urged the Dominican Congress to take steps to reform the Audit Chamber and ensure that it is more effective in its mission of rooting out corruption.

The allegations raised by ADOCCO highlight the urgent need for greater transparency and accountability in the Dominican Republic’s public sector. The country’s citizens deserve an Audit Chamber that is committed to protecting their interests and ensuring that public funds are used responsibly.