“I am pleased Leslie H. Kondo, Hawaii State Auditor is now getting a taste of the modus operandi by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA),” said no other than the publisher of eTurboNews in his capacity as a long time resident of the Aloha State and a tourism leader.
According to a recently concluded Hawaii State Audit, HTA has disregarded its own procurement policies and procedures, awarding sole source contracts based on questionable justifications, paying contractors without existing contracts, and voluntarily waiving ownership of intellectual property that the State paid to develop.
The auditor said: “We found that HTA reimbursed millions of dollars to contractors without receipts and other required documentation; reimbursed costs, such as first-class airfare, luxury hotel accommodations, and other extravagant expenses, that was expressly prohibited by contract; and consistently failed to enforce contract terms that are intended to protect the State.”
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