Comptroller Wants
More Controls Over Protected Coastal Strips
(InfoWebPress) – The Comptroller General’s Office has reprimanded
the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) after it detected weaknesses
in internal controls over the Land Maritime Zone (ZMT) — a portion
of coastal land where development is restricted or prohibited
altogether.
The Comptroller’s study consisted of evaluating the surveillance
function of ICT on topics related to the ZMT, which have taken on
greater relevance due to the impact increased tourism and real
estate development on the country’s coast could have on those
fragile areas and increased scrutiny from the local media.
The study focused on three main areas. The first included a legal
analysis of ICT’s role, according to what has been established in
the Land Maritime Zone Law and applicable guidelines.
In the second area, the Comptroller’s Office verified compliance
with orders set forth in the DFOE-AM-42-2004 and DFOE-AM-17-2005
previously issued by the governmental watchdog agency. Upon
reviewing documents provided by ICT and other documents generated as
part of internal audits, the Comptroller’s Office determined that
the majority of orders issued in the reports have been complied with
accordingly by ICT. Evidence of such compliance includes formal
working procedures that back up internal control mechanisms to make
sure concessions for development projects are properly executed.
Some procedures, however, were identified by the Comptroller’s
Office as needing improvement. One of them is the process for
defining and obtain guarantees from those who request concessions to
carry out tourism-related activities within the ZMT, as officials
found some inconsistencies in the way the amount of the guarantee is
defined and the submission of profiles for the project to be
developed.
The third area of the study concentrated on the technical review
process for approving concessions within the ZMT. The Comptroller’s
Office found inconsistencies regarding the data contained in the
concession request files, evidence of the technical and legal
reviews conducted on concession requests, the amount of time during
which concession requests were processed, the appraisals conducted
by the Taxation Division of the Ministry of the Treasury, and
certifications related to possible impact on the state’s natural
heritage.
In general, the outcome of the study signaled weaknesses in ICT’s
internal control system, its processes and macro-processes, as well
as with municipalities in their role as providers of key documents.
There is also a need to strengthen relations between the players in
the concession of development rights within the ZMT and to establish
effective communication channels between institutions that would
allow for better coordination.
The Comptroller General’s Office issued these recommendations to
ICT’s board or directors and manager’s office and to the Ministry of
the Environment. |
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