So, to the Senate hearings itself - it lasted just under an hour, and the Committee chose to do so because they wanted to lay out the groundwork before they started the deep dive into the specifics of her report.
However, there were a few interesting revelations made in today’s conversation between the Auditor General and the Senate Select Committee. Here are a few excerpts:
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"You state in your opening in your executive summary that this audit reflects a small percentage of the total findings because of the volume of the actual findings. Can you give us an idea of how small this percentage is?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"This percentage reflects a 25% of a one year activity because we did two years so it's 25% of one year which would equate to something like 3 months."
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"So if you had in fact done a full 100% audit we would have expected to see four time perhaps?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"I'm not sure it would depend on the examination and the findings."
"The presentation was done to the Minister of Finance in accordance with the regulations and it was done that way because of the volume of finding and because of the names we had associated with the findings, meaning names that were directly linked to the Immigration Department. So because the names linked to the Immigration Department was in the report I felt it was fitting in accordance with the regulations to make that presentation to the Minister of Finance."
Aldo Salazar - Chairman of Senate Select Committee
"You said there was an exit interview with the director, CEO and minister. Was the draft report presented to them at that point?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"The discussions of the findings in the draft was discussed."
Aldo Salazar - Chairman of Senate Select Committee
"I'm asking if you presented the draft."
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"To give to them? No."
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"It has been said that in fact if I'm not misrepresenting people did not see your report that they did not have a copy of your report. How would you respond to that?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"I would say that is true, they did not receive the final copy."
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"So then you submitted an actual physical report to the Minister of Finance. Why did you submit this to him personally? Were you expecting the Minister of Finance to make a review before you published? Can you talk to some about what process you expected after you submitted it to the Minister of Finance?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"Actually the process has 2 prangs. I have the option to actually give a copy or give the copy to the ministry or department. It depends on my findings because as I explain the nature of the findings, the regulations makes provision to me to give it directly to the Minister of Finance who then determines exactly what would be the next step of phase in my submission."
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"Did he have an obligation to get back to you to say I'm not in agreement with such and such, can we discuss such and such in a report or did you expect that sort of feedback from the Minister of Finance at that time?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"To be honest this was my first submission and so for me the door would have been open because I don't know what to expect. But clearly if one was made I would have been available."
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"But no such feedback came from that office?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"No."
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"And then who was responsible for publishing the report?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"Well actually it was only 3 sets of this report was done pending any queries or any questions asked, pending whatever. Only 3 copies was done at that time when the presentation was made. So a copy was given to the Minister of Finance. On another date and I will give you that date a copy was then presented to the CEO. On June 6th I then gave a copy to Hon. Beverly Castillo, CEO Edmond Zuniga and Director of Immigration Diana Locke. They got a copy and I kept the 3rd."
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"When you gave them copies of your report, we're you expecting feedback from them?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"Well I said that I was very open, any clarity, anything need to be discussed I'm available."
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"Did any such happen?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"No."
Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"So no feedback basically was submitted from anyone or no concern was expressed from anyone after you gave them copies of your report?"
Dorothy Bradley - Auditor General
"I did not hear from anybody."
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