Audit shows Ga. ethics commission lapses persist | savannahnow.com

ATLANTA — A review of the operations of the state ethics commission by state auditors found inconsistent treatment of complaints, lack of formal procedures that results in unequal application of the law and questionable expenditures.

The top-to-bottom assessment was released three weeks ago by the Department of Audits and Accounts. The 58-page report lists management problems, such as underqualified staff, poor documentation and inadequate data controls.

“These problems included potentially inappropriate expenditures for personal legal services, which have since been turned over to the Attorney General’s Office for further review,” the auditors wrote.

The five members of the commission unanimously requested the review in hopes of ending a string of scandals stemming from agency operations, according to Chairwoman Hillary Stringfellow, a Brunswick attorney. They asked the department to do it to avoid the expense of hiring someone outside of government.

“The request to conduct a performance audit of the commission was made because the commissioners recognized the need for an impartial, outside assessment of the commission’s operations, policies and controls and practical recommendations for addressing any inadequacies and deficiencies identified through that assessment,” she wrote in a letter for the department.

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