Independent OHA Audit: LLCs Refuse to Show Check Registers

Trustee Keli‘i Akina urges LLCs not to obstruct audit

News Release from OHA Trustee Keli'i Akina, PhD

HONOLULU, HI- Facing resistance from its own LLCs, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees is considering taking action tomorrow to compel its LLC managers to release documents and financial information for an independent audit that was approved by the Board of Trustees in 2017. In approving the independent audit last year, the OHA Board committed to including the LLCs in a systematic examination of five years’ worth of financial data.

In order for the contractor to finalize the scope of work for the independent audit, the contractor has requested the check registers from Hi‘ilei Aloha LLC, Ho‘okele Pono LLC and Hi‘ipaka LLC. Trustee at-large Keli‘i Akina, chairperson of the Audit Advisory Committee, urges his fellow Trustees to support the action as a way to ensure the audit will be completed expeditiously.

“The Board must take action to ensure that the auditor can do its work, and that starts with making sure the auditor’s requests for information are met,” Trustee Akina said.

The Committee on Resource Management will meet to take action tomorrow, January 31, 2018 at 9:00am. News media and the public are urged to attend the meeting.

“The beneficiaries have been waiting long enough for this independent audit of OHA and its LLCs, and further delay or withholding of LLC information will not be tolerated,” Trustee Akina said.

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OHA Trustees Order LLC Managers to Provide Check Registers for Independent Audit

Trustee Keli‘i Akina comments on independent audit and leaked state audit

News Release from OHA Trustee Keli’i Akina, PhD January 31, 2018

HONOLULU, HI- The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Resource Management today unanimously moved to order its LLC managers to provide check registers related to OHA’s LLCs, clearing a significant hurdle for the independent audit approved by the Board of Trustees in 2017.

The Trustees’ action today coincided with an alleged leak of the state’s own audit of OHA to news media.

“While I am not at liberty to comment on the specific contents of the state audit before it is officially released, it indicates the need for OHA to get its financial house in order. OHA’s independent audit is an important step in that direction,” Trustee Akina said.  “While the state audit may indicate problems within OHA, the independent audit will take a deeper look at why these problems exist in both OHA and its LLCs.”

Trustee Akina, as chair of the Audit Advisory Committee, crafted the scope of work for the independent audit in an effort to identify instances of fraud, waste and abuse within OHA and its LLCs.

“Both the state audit, and OHA’s independent audit constitute a real win for the beneficiaries of OHA and all citizens of Hawai‘i who demand transparency and accountability in public institutions,” Trustee Akina said.

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Related: Grand Theft Aina: OHA Trustees Set to 'Compel LLCs to Submit'