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The Puerto Rico Comptroller’s Office (OCPR) revealed on Wednesday deficiencies in the supervision and monitoring of funds allocated to the Committee for the Prevention, Support, Rescue and Education of Gender Violence (PARE) by the island Department of Justice, which the OCPR said puts the correct administration of the resources at risk.
According to the report, Justice Department analysts did not adequately verify the recipient entities’ compliance with established guidelines, allowing irregularities in the use of funds. In a sample of the $2 million allocated to nonprofit organizations, the files were found to be incomplete, the hiring of four professionals without formalized documents was confirmed, and assistance reports were accepted without signature or certification from the entity.
The audit also revealed that Justice Department analysts accepted improper payments for services already covered by other grants, double billing for psychological services, and duplicate payments to employees, including the case of a cook who received two payments for the same work. It was also found that one of the beneficiary entities did not have an exclusive bank account for PARE funds, which makes it difficult to monitor their use and increases the risk of money being misappropriated.
Another finding was that the Forfeiture Board, which is attached to the Department of Justice, continues to operate under regulations that are up to 30 years old and have not been updated, and does not have an electronic system to manage the inventory of confiscated property, which creates uncertainty in the administration of seized assets.
The report also notes that the Justice Department submitted 140 contracts totaling $18.5 million in federal funds to the Comptroller’s Office’s Contract Registry up to four months late, preventing those documents from being available to the public, as required by current regulations. In addition, the agency did not submit certifications of compliance with Law 273-2003 for fiscal years 2019 and 2020, which affects transparency in government audits.
The report recommends that the Justice secretary review and update the regulations of the Forfeiture Board, implement an electronic system for the management of seized property, and strengthen controls in the supervision of PARE funds.
The Justice Department’s budget for fiscal years 2020 through 2024 totaled $804.6 million, with reported outlays of $596.5 million.
