The chair of the IWK board of directors says it was the board that filed a formal complaint on Thursday with Halifax Regional Police about possible fiscal mismanagement at the hospital.

In an open letter emailed to CTV News, board chair Karen Hutt writes:

“Trust is earned over many experiences over many years. But trust is also fragile.

“I want to reaffirm a commitment to be transparent and fully accountable. Members of the IWK board are overcome with concern as we come to understand how that trust was breached.

“We are committed to holding ourselves and our colleagues to the highest of standards of governance. And we must continue to have the courage to make the tough decisions, like the ones we have recently made, so that we learn and get better going forward.”

Earlier this week, Nova Scotia Auditor General Michael Pickup said he was going to audit the IWK's books and practices following the resignation of former IWK CEO Tracy Kitch, who billed the hospital for more than $47,000 in personal expenses, some of which have not been repaid.