San Juan, .- The Comptroller of Puerto Rico said today that the municipality of Utuado, in the interior of the island, has 1.6 million dollars without recovering and four pending lawsuits for the same amount.
However, it highlights this Thursday in a statement, issued a favorable opinion on the fiscal operations related to contracts and disbursements for the collection of debris in Utuado, after the passage of Hurricane Maria.
“The tests carried out and the evidence in our possession revealed that these operations were carried out in accordance with the law and the applicable regulations,” he stressed.
The report also includes three comments that “do not necessarily imply violations of laws and regulations, but that are significant for the operations of the audited entity.”
The audit indicates that Utuado has accumulated deficits in the Operational Fund of 1.5 million for 2016 and 1.2 million for 2017.
However, the municipality has reduced the deficit by 60 percent in the last five years and it is recommended to continue with the administrative measures necessary to eliminate it.
In addition, the municipality has yet to comply with the recovery recommendations of 1.6 million, indicated in previous audit reports.
For example, it must recover $ 908,052 for payments made to 25 contracts and seven amendments that were not recorded in the Office of the Comptroller and 557,992 euros for payments made to 14 contracts granted retroactively.
Utuado must also recover $ 147,316 from payments made to contractors for services that were not provided or that were made outside the term of the contracts.
The report also comments that, as of June 30, 2018, Utuado had four pending civil lawsuits amounting to $ 1.6 million.
The report covers the period from July 1, 2015 to November 30, 2018. (EFEUSA)
