No fireworks in auditor investigation

A special House Investigative Committee looking into two audits that found sloppy management of state lands focused on the findings and responses of the audit of the Agribusiness Development Corp. on Thursday — but provided no suggestion of why the handling of either audit is the subject of a House investigation.

Thursday’s appearance by Phyllis Shimabukuro- Geiser — chairwoman of the state Board of Agriculture and a member of the ADC board who was the only person to appear before Thursday’s hearing — lacked the tension and fireworks that have occurred during three appearances by state Auditor Les Kondo.

During the first two weeks of hearings, Kondo has questioned why he was subpoenaed to testify under oath and repeatedly advised that he had the right to legal counsel. Kondo, a lawyer who has not been accompanied by counsel, has tangled repeatedly with House Majority Leader and committee Chairwoman Della Au Belatti and has not gotten an explanation of why he and his office are under investigation for its separate audits of land management by the ADC and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

On Thursday there was no suggestion of impropriety over the way the audit of the ADC was conducted in either questions to Shimabukuro-Geiser, her answers or in her opening and closing statements.

Instead, Shimabukuro- Geiser backed up some of the critical findings of the ADC audit, including that the ADC suffered from poor planning.

Like other witnesses, Shimabukuro-Geiser was subpoenaed and testified under oath and was accompanied by legal counsel.

Belatti plans to subpoena more witnesses and already has subpoenaed some 12,000 documents — with more to come — during hearings that are scheduled to last though Oct. 28, followed by a report in November.

Asked when each day’s hearings would start when they resume on Oct. 6, Belatti at one point told the committee, “I would anticipate all-day hearings, members.”