LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Prosecutors have decided that charges aren't warranted following an audit into the highly scrutinized purchase of a $19K lectern by the Governor's Office last year.
Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones made the announcement on Friday, sharing that the review found that the purchase by Gov. Sanders was consistent with Arkansas law and that it wasn't improper or illegal.
The decision by the prosecutors hinged upon three key factors: the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), invoice notations, and lastly, the application of the General Accounting and Budgetary Procedures Law (GABPL).
Jones said there was "insufficient evidence" for the FOIA responses, the GABPL provisions, and the invoice notations.
"Given the multiple interpretations of the GABPL and the ambiguity over whether it applies to the [Governor's Office], there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the statute was knowingly violated," Jones said.
This decision comes after state legislators met at the Arkansas State Capitol back in April to discuss the findings of an audit report into the purchase of a lectern by the office of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. That report found at least seven instances of potentially violating state law when it came to buying the lectern and its transfer to the Republican Party of Arkansas.
The report also noted that officials conducting the audit were never able to make contact with Beckett Events, Salem Strategies, or Miller's Presentation Furniture. The governor also declined an officer to provide a statement to the auditors, instead responding to the findings of the report after it was completed.
Much of April's meeting revolved around lawmakers questioning staff members of the governor's office and the attorney general's office regarding specific findings in the 68-page report.
Legislators were also allowed to question auditors during the meeting.
Many of the discussed issues surrounded if there was potential "non-compliance" with Arkansas laws surrounding how it was bought. They questioned if the amount was reasonable, with what money it was purchased, if public records laws were followed, who owns the podium right now, and if it was legal to alter, file, or destroy documents after the fact.
The audit showed there were a few areas where the governor's office may not have followed the law, but the governor's office claimed they followed all the rules.