HONOLULU -- The Honolulu Liquor Commission, which has had eight investigators convicted of bribery, is under an audit.
The City Auditor has begun a management audit of the troubled agency. The agency hasn't been audited in at least 15 years.
The City Auditor began an audit of the Liquor Commission a few weeks ago. Councilman Charles Djou had been calling for an audit for two years.
"Certainly, it is very disturbing that we've had eight convictions of Liquor Commission employees. This is something that's not acceptable," Djou said.
Last year, KITV 4 News reported that the agency had failed to collect $400,000 in fines from bars and restaurants and that staffing shortages meant the commission did not have investigators in the field on Sunday and Monday nights.
City Auditor Les Tanaka's staff has begun a performance audit.
"I hope he looks into controls, for reduction of corruption and oversight of this agency and figuring out how we can better supervise this agency so we don't have all these problems with corruption," Djou said.
Tanaka said he's doing just that.
The administrator of the Liquor Commission said he's already aware of many of the commission's shortcomings and is working on them.
Liquor Commission Administrator Wally Weatherwax said his agency is cooperating fully with the auditor.
"We may not always totally agree, but there may be a way at looking at some of their problems, and hopefully identifying some good recommendations that could help them in terms of long-term solutions to some of their serious problems in the past," Weatherwax said.
Eight liquor commission investigators have been convicted of taking bribes from the bars they regulate after one investigator wore a wire and cooperated with federal authorities.
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