"Under the Yoke of the Discharge" is the title of the book by Jean Marie Altéma, former Director General of the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL). The book, published in 2026 in the United States of America, presents to Haitian readers the author's arduous journey to obtain discharge from his management as a Senior State Official. This specialist in information technology and digital governance, caught in the maze of the control system of the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Litigation (CSCCA), decided to provide "a documented and detailed testimony, based on personal experience within the public administration". Jean Marie Altéma submits to the examination and appreciation of citizens hundreds of procedural practices of which he has been the subject. He believes that the effects of these procedures on the rights of public managers call for heightened institutional attention.
In the book, the author acknowledges the importance of accountability for public officials. Transparency, performance, and prevention are the key factors that guide managers of state funds. Beyond the constraints and political pressures, the administrators and public accountants must ensure that public funds effectively contribute to the well-being of citizens. Because public money is the money of collective hope. In every democracy that respects itself, there are bodies that ensure the control of public finances and demand accountability from accountants and administrators of the state's financial resources. In his narrative, which is not an indictment against the country's financial jurisdiction, Jean Marie Altéma recognizes the importance of the CSCCA while asserting that he is able to justify the expenditures made under his direction for the period under investigation. Every audit act must establish a dialogue of truths: the truth of the auditor and the truth of the audited. The confrontation of truths allows for the validation of the accuracy of the alleged facts, gives the audited the opportunity to explain and provide corrective elements to the file. Contradictory dialogue reduces resistance by allowing the audited to participate in discussions, thereby facilitating a better acceptance of the conclusions of the audit report.
After years of waiting for the discharge of his management as former Director General of CONATEL, he notes the interference of the Fondasyon Je kle (FJKL) in his case and the media noise surrounding this intervention. This troubling situation leads Jean Marie Altéma to raise questions about the practices of the Court of Accounts and to inquire about the functioning of the financial jurisdiction of the country. "What happens when jurisdictional decisions are rendered without in-depth analysis of the evidence produced by the audited public manager? What becomes of transparency when the conclusion precedes the contradictory examination? What effects do the institutional practices of the CSCCA have on public governance?" For the author, the significance of these questions far exceeds his particular case. He believes that the answers to these questions will send clear signals to citizens about whether or not the country is capable of attracting and retaining the essential skills needed for its development.
After presenting the CSCCA and comparing it with its counterpart in the Dominican Republic, the Cámara de Cuentas, the book highlights the real meaning of the judgment of public accounts, exposes factual elements, and confronts them with an unprecedented analytical framework. In his narrative, Jean Marie Altéma anatomizes five irregularities found in the verification reports of the Court. His analysis reveals a recurring pattern that captures the curious reader's attention in search of explanation. According to him, each of the irregularities "is based on a distinct technique, but they all produce the same effect: artificially expanding the charges brought and overestimating their amount".
As written, Jean Marie Altéma's book holds great importance. It is recommended for public officials and citizens interested in public affairs to buy and read this book. It provides useful answers to public fund managers who spend years in the long corridor of the Court and Parliament awaiting the discharge of their management. Through unexpected detours, the author presents the labyrinth of the CSCCA's control system from a less flattering angle. His personal case aptly illustrates the difficulties that many of our public officials face in a misunderstood dialogue between the oversight body, which has time on its side, and the high official, forced to act in urgency in a precarious context to respond to often explosive political and social demands.
After reading Altéma's text, public administration practitioners will know that they must take precautions when performing management acts and have a good understanding of the laws, regulations, and procedures applicable in public finance. Obviously, they must ensure the regularity, fidelity, and honesty of their financial statements and ensure that the budgetary resources allocated to them are effectively utilized to achieve the objectives initially set by the representatives of the nation.
Altéma has highlighted certain weaknesses observed in the functioning of the CSCCA. He hopes that the country's financial jurisdiction will be reformed so that it can fully fulfill its mission. In the book, he proposes five axes for reforming the Superior Court of Accounts: (i) review the procedures and deadlines for processing cases at the Court; (ii) strengthen the quality of audits by requiring sufficient, relevant, and reliable evidence; (iii) enhance the institutional independence of the Court of Accounts by modifying the appointment process for advisors; (iv) strengthen transparency and the appeal process by establishing the rule of sequenced and enforceable publication while ensuring effective contradictory exchange during hearings; and (v) ensure training and professional development for the Court's staff.
The axes of reform proposed by Jean Marie Altéma are understandable given the longevity of his case, which has been pending for 9 years at the CSCCA. Many honest and competent citizens refuse to hold important positions in the state because it is practically impossible to obtain discharge from their management afterward. This discharge, necessary in any respectable democracy, becomes for some Haitian public servants a difficult to obtain key. It effectively constitutes, in many respects, the civil death of the manager of public assets because their property is burdened with a mortgage. Viewed from this angle, "Under the Yoke of the Discharge" by Jean Marie Altéma is interesting. It brings a refreshing new light to a case that poses challenges for public fund administrators and accountants.
Upon further reflection, at a time of state reform and generational transition to bring order to public finances and ensure the historical continuity of the national project, it is good to place accountability and management of public finances within a broader framework that goes beyond the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Litigation. The author naturally acknowledges that one of the reform axes he proposes requires a constitutional revision. In a country of great precariousness like Haiti, it must be admitted that there are too many people manipulating public money. It is essential to significantly reduce the personnel handling the financial resources of the nation to avoid the leakage of financial resources from the state. This reform may grind some teeth, but it is the surest means to have effective control over the management of community resources. A thorough reform of public financial management is necessary through the redeployment of the General Treasury Department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance across all public administrations by establishing a public finance department in each geographical department of the country. This department should be the only competent state body responsible for collecting revenues (taxes and non-tax revenues), controlling public expenditure, settling public debts, managing the funds and treasury of the state and territorial collectivities.
One cannot secure public finances without revising the scheme for drawing up the finance law. A good political arbitration of the budget is needed, and it must truly be the numerical expression of the real government priorities by clearly showing all the revenues and all the expenses of the Nation (State, Territorial Collectivities, and Autonomous Bodies). The proper use and optimization of budgetary resources are absolutely necessary for the progress of the country. It is urgent to dematerialize the chains of revenue and expenditure to better serve the citizen and ensure reliable accounting data by making the General Treasury Department the primary producer of financial and accounting data, certified in collaboration with the Superior Court of Accounts. The logic of time obliges us to strengthen transparency and regularly publish data related to public finances and clearly establish the separation of political functions from technical functions. These are elements that can prevent certain drifts in public finances and place the CSCCA back at the heart of its work by reducing administrative hassles. Of course, these reforms for good governance of public finances require political courage and demand belief in the reform initiative to break through resistance barriers and counter the anti-change forces that compromise the future of the country.
