About Audit Saint Lucia

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The office of the Director of Audit is a constitutional office that reports to the House of Parliament through the Minister of Finance, but is not a part of the government itself. This independence from the government of the day is vital if the Audit Office is to perform its work effectively and make unbiased judgments. The Director of Audit must be free of obligations to any individual or institution and be free from fear of arbitrary dismissal or retaliation. Annually the office reports through the Minister of Finance, to Parliament, which uses the information provided by the Director of Audit to call the government to account for its handling of public funds through the Public Accounts Committee. The Director of Audit, then, is a servant of Parliament, and not the government of the day. (See Organization Chart of the Government of St. Lucia).

Parliament, through legislation, the Audit Act and the constitution ensures the independence of the Director of Audit and confirms his/her position of being answerable and subservient only to Parliament e.g. the salary of the Director of Audit is a statutory charge on the consolidated fund.

Key Aspects

To promote greater accountability in the public service through a professional approach to monitoring and reporting on whether monies appropriated by parliament were applied as appropriated; whether expenditure conforms to the authority that governs it on the efficiency, economy and effectiveness of government spending.

We assist Parliament in holding the Government accountable, by examining the accounts of Saint Lucia. These audits enable members of Parliament to obtain information and to judge whether Government spent public funds for the purposes authorized and whether resources were used economically and efficiently.

Our Clients

Our clients are as follows:

All the Government Departments and Agencies, along with their Boards funds and special accounts.
Statutory Bodies and Government Companies although these corporations differ widely in the nature of their activities, the size of their budget, their source of funding and the degree of their independence
Special Government—Wide issues. Some of these investigations may be into subjects or issues which apply right across government, such as accountability of Statutory Bodies, management of payroll costs, to name a few.