Wescot-Williams asks Minister to respond to Audit Chamber report on building permits

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has formally written to the Minister of VROMI requesting a response to the Performance Audit on the Building Permit Process, conducted by the General Audit Chamber. The audit identifies significant concerns, including outdated legislation, inconsistent application of policies, lack of transparency, integrity risks, and operational bottlenecks within the permitting system.

Wescot-Williams said that given these findings, and the fact that the Minister did not respond during the audit process, she has requested the following:

1. A formal reaction from the Minister to the audit’s conclusions.

2. A clear implementation plan covering all recommendations issued by the General Audit

Chamber.

3. A detailed timeline for actions such as automation of the permitting process, legislative

modernization, zoning implementation, and improvements to transparency and integrity

safeguards.

According to the Member of Parliament, these reforms are essential to restoring public trust, ensuring a fair and accountable permitting system, and supporting sustainable development for Sint Maarten. A response from the Minister is requested within 3 weeks.

On November 21 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴' 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘦 published a report on the findings of the General Audit Chamber which concluded that serious risks of fraud and undue influence are built into St. Maarten’s building permit system. The General Audit Chamber found that the absence of written procedures, informal consultations with applicants and external agencies, limited oversight, and the fact that the Minister does not have to document deviations from technical or internal advice, together create vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

"To complement the audit work, a survey was conducted among persons and entities who submitted building permit applications between 2020 and 2024. While not representative, the Audit Chamber notes a response rate of 89 out of 269 (33%). Many respondents reported dissatisfaction with the current process, uncertainty about processing times, and that environmental consequences should play a more prominent role in the assessment process. 𝐀 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫. Considering the sensitive nature of the question, the Audit Chamber notes it is possible that some respondents may have chosen not to disclose their experiences out of concern for repercussions. These findings suggest that integrity risks exist within the permitting process."

To read that article click here: https://www.thepeoplestribunesxm.com/articles/audit-chamber-flags-fraud-risks-in-st-maartens-building-permit-system

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