Comptroller General urged to resume publication of state audits
Communicator Hansel García, coordinator of the radio show Politikal, issued a forceful call to the Comptroller General of the Republic, Geraldo Espinosa, to immediately resume the dissemination of audits conducted on various State institutions. According to García, keeping these reports confidential contradicts the principles of transparency that the current government has championed since the beginning of its administration.
Historically, the Office of the Comptroller General maintained the standard practice of publishing the results of audits conducted on public agencies. However, it has been reported that this policy of transparency was interrupted around the year 2025, leaving a void of information regarding the management of public resources.
Hundreds of reports pending disclosure
According to the analyzed data, there are approximately 390 completed audits that remain unpublished. Faced with questions from civil society and the journalistic sector, Comptroller Geraldo Espinosa has defended the withholding of these documents, arguing that current regulations do not impose a strict obligation for their mass dissemination.
It is a right of the citizenry to know the destination and management of public funds, regardless of whether the detected anomalies are remediable or not.
Hansel García
Pressure measurements and background
Faced with the lack of a response, Hansel García announced that he will implement a citizen pressure measure similar to the one used by communicator Ramón Tolentino. García will establish a daily symbolic «clock» directed at Comptroller Espinosa, maintaining the demand until the documents are released or, failing that, a change in the leadership of the institution occurs.
This request recalls the instruction given by President Luis Abinader in September 2023, when he requested the then-comptroller, Félix Santana García, to publish all audits on the institutional portal. At that time, it was emphasized that transparency is fundamental for society to exercise its role of citizen oversight regarding state spending.
Debate on legal discretion
The analysis panel highlighted several key points regarding the status of these audits:
- Discretion: Although the law does not explicitly mandate the publication of reports, there is no prohibition either, making transparency a discretionary decision of the incumbent.
- Administrative nature: Unlike the Chamber of Accounts audits, the Comptroller’s audits are internal. The protocol establishes that institutions must be notified of anomalies to present their defenses before the final issuance.
Despite the administrative nature of these processes, the debate centers on the imperative need for accountability, an essential pillar for institutional trust in the Dominican Republic.
