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No SHEFA response yet to OPA findings
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Posted on May 08 2008
A month after receiving the Public Auditor’s report, the Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance Program has yet to respond to any of the findings of the OPA.
Rep. Tina Sablan said it is not clear to her at all that why SHEFA cannot respond at this point to the OPA findings.
“We were hoping to ask questions and receive answers from you at our last Saipan delegation meeting session and we were told then that you were preparing a response. One month later, we are here again and we still have questions that still have not been answered,” Sablan told the SHEFA board during a meeting yesterday.
She said she has not heard any adequate justifications as to why the SHEFA board could not “at this time respond to at least some of the findings.”
Some of the findings cited were SHEFA’s non-compliance with rules and regulations, a finding that $200 from operations were reprogrammed to buy a wreath for a funeral, and SHEFA’s noncompliance with CNMI procurement regulations.
“The list goes on,” Sablan said. “I really don’t understand why we have to wait any longer. We’re here now and I’m sure you’re familiar of the findings of the Public Auditor,” Sablan said.
Felicidad T. Ogumoro, chairwoman of the SHEFA board of directors, said the board would like to be given an opportunity to complete its final report before addressing any of the OPA findings.
“We’re working very diligently to complete it. Some of our students out there are worrying as to what’s happening and we want to allay their fears. We want them to know that we’re working very hard and moving along,” Ogumuro said.
She assured the SHEFA’s final report will be completed no later than the end of May.
The OPA has recently found that officials in charge of the SHEFA have misused public funds through questionable hiring and improper payments to board members.
SHEFA has been conducting its own review of alleged mismanagement at the scholarship agency.
