During a review of Illinois Auditor General reports, Edgar County Watchdogs discovered that the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) maintains foreign offices in several countries, including Belgium, Japan, Mexico, Canada, China, and Israel. The audit also revealed that DCEO holds Imprest bank accounts at financial institutions in these countries to pay for local operational expenses.
According to a document from the Accountability for the Investment of Public Funds Act, “In conformity with the Accountability for the Investment of Public Funds Act (30 ILCS 237), the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) discloses that all funds appropriated to and expended by DCEO are held in the State Treasury and therefore not held or invested by DCEO, with the exception of the funds held pursuant to 15 ILCS 405/21 (Imprest Accounts), disclosed below:”
The document lists accounts at Fortis Bank in Brussels, Bank of Montreal in Toronto, BBVA México in Mexico City, and SMBC Trust Bank in Tokyo. These accounts are used for operational expenses abroad and receive reimbursements from DCEO’s appropriations managed by the State Treasury.
Edgar County Watchdogs filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking records on operational expenses and bank statements from these foreign offices. The organization stated it was concerned because it found no reference to actual expenditures being audited for these locations.
Legal counsel for DCEO responded that the request was “unduly burdensome, overly broad, categorical, and vague,” stating it was unclear which office’s records were being sought. The response did not offer an opportunity to narrow the request.
Regarding access to bank statements, legal counsel cited a trade secret exemption: “Please be advised for Part 2 of your request, the Department has determined that bank statements are confidential. 140/7(1) (g) exempts from disclosure ‘trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person or business where the trade secrets or commercial or financial information are furnished under a claim that they are proprietary, privileged or confidential, and that disclosure of the trade secrets or commercial or financial information would cause competitive harm to the person or business, and only insofar as the claim directly applies to the records requested.’ Bank statements are both confidential and commercial.”
Edgar County Watchdogs indicated plans to consult attorneys regarding public access to state agency expenditures conducted through foreign bank accounts. “We will be forwarding this to our attorneys, as I believe ‘we the people’ have a right to know the details of a state agency’s expenditures and bank records, especially since they are operating in foreign countries, of which one, China, is our adversary.”
A copy of DCEO’s response is available online.
Edgar County Watchdogs operates as a news media entity focused on advancing transparency in local governance via investigative reporting drawn from public records. Established in Illinois and staffed by individuals such as John Kraft and Kirk Allen among its editors and researchers according to its official website, it promotes informed communities by enhancing oversight through accessible public information. The organization relies on support from small individual donations and features members affiliated with professional journalism organizations. Its mission centers on fostering accountability through document-based journalism and delivering reporting across Illinois.
The group states it will continue providing updates as legal proceedings develop.
