Finish OHA’s Audit for Fraud, Waste and Abuse!

Trustee Keli‘i Akina presses new Board leadership for commitment  

News Release from OHA Trustee Keli'i Akina, PhD,  December 10, 2018

HONOLULU, HI- Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Keli‘i Akina today secured renewed commitments from OHA’s newly chosen Board leadership to finish the audit of OHA and its subsidiary LLCs for fraud, waste and abuse.

As nominees for Board and Committee leadership were announced at today’s Board reorganization meeting, Trustee Akina asked each in turn if they would do everything in their power to ensure that the audit for fraud, waste and abuse is completed.

Trustee Akina led the Audit Advisory Committee as Chair, and was tasked with crafting the scope of the audit.  He expressed serious concerns over the progress and execution of the audit in light of a recent status update from the auditing firm, Clifton Larsen Allen (CLA).

Trustee Colette Machado, who was chosen to serve as Chairperson of the Board, and Trustee Lei Ahu Isa, who will serve as Chairperson of the Resource Management Committee, both gave assurances today that they were firmly committed to finishing the audit that the Board of Trustees first approved in February 2017.  Trustee Ahu Isa’s commitment to finishing the audit is particularly significant, because in her new position as RM Chair, she inherits the role of contract manager for the audit.

The Board budgeted $500,000 for the audit, and awarded the contract to global financial services firm Clifton Larsen Allen LLP. The audit was to be completed by April 2019, but has been marred by delays. 

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DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this news release are the personal views of Trustee Akina and may not reflect the views of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs or its Board of Trustees.

Keliʻi Akina, Ph.D., is a community leader who is known for the phrase he has coined, "E Hana Kākou" - Let's work together! Over the past several years as a public policy adviser at the legislative, congressional and international levels, Dr. Akina’s mission has been to preserve the Aloha Spirit by which native Hawaiians and people of all races are welcomed and encouraged to work together for a better future for all our keiki. He was elected to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees in November 2016.