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Veeduría questions use of reconstruction funds
Posted On 15 Jan 2018
Ecuadornews:
The Secretariat of Risk Management paid $ 86,359 for the rental of three mobile toilets, the audit created by the Citizen Participation Council concluded. Four irregularities in the management of $ 10 million for the reconstruction of Manabí found the Citizen Veeduría (observers), created by the Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS).
The veeduría analyzed the use of resources assigned by the Ministry of Finance to the Secretariat of Risk Management (SGR) a few days after the earthquake of April 16, 2016 that affected Manabí and Esmeraldas. The money had to attend to the emergency. But the members of the oversight “presume” that in the first days after the event “economic transfers were made to officials of the SGR of Manabí”. This is stated in the Legal Report of the Citizen Monitoring to ‘Monitor and monitor the transparent use of resources allocated by the Ministry of Finance to the Secretariat of Risk Management to address the national emergency.’
The document is found in the memorandum CPPCS-CGAJ-2018-0012-M, of January 8, 2018, prepared by the General Coordination of Legal Advice of the CPCCS based on the conclusions and recommendations of the final report delivered by the oversight on 22 December 2017; as well as in the subsequent technical report.
With difficulties in accessing public information and lack of budget, the inspectors found inconsistencies by suggesting that the Council undertake inquiries and actions to clarify whether acts of corruption were committed.
On April 27, 2016, Finance transferred $ 10 million to the SGR based on Executive Decree 1001. Of that amount, the Secretariat claimed to have occupied $ 1’126,000. On May 3 and 4, the Ministry decreased the initial allocation of $ 8’300,000 and $ 574,000, respectively, which resulted in an allocation of $ 1’126,000. Of the coded allocation, says the report, this institution has acquired commitments for a total amount of $ 1,105,730.41, leaving a balance available for emergency care of $ 20,269.59.
“Where did these resources go? What motivated for the withdrawal of part of the allocation to the SGR by the Minfin? “, Question the veedores. In addition, there were unjustified increases in payments for rental of mobile sanitary batteries
By contracting 203 toilets the Secretariat of Risk Management disbursed a total of $ 233,732.80 on April 21, 2016. The following year, on July 16, 2017, the entity rented 200 bathrooms, but this time canceled $ 147,373.50 . There is a difference of $ 86,359. It causes uncertainty because the rent for bathroom is $ 1,151.39, while its value is $ 736.87. “We think the difference by only three units,” questioned the oversight. Additionally, when visiting the facilities of the Manabí SGR, the CPCCS team observed “a large amount” of signage to be located in the affected areas, “the same ones that had not been used and whose use is unknown”. $ 570,000 was spent on the acquisition of the material. For the oversight the value is excessive, “since it is not justified as an investment so necessary in times of emergency through which the province passed.”
Finally, there are inconsistencies with the sequence of 714 invoices from the vehicle maintenance provider. On May 2, 2016, the service provider issued two papers to the SGR, the numbering of the first one ending in 267 and the numbering of the next one in 981.
Actions Recommendations
– The Legal Coordination recommended that the Council plenary attend to the observations of the observers. The investigations must be carried out through the Technical Secretariat for the Fight against Corruption.
– 12 active members were veedores (observers). They signed the final report of the audit.
– The Citizen Monitoring, created by the CPCCS, appeared in June 2016. On December 22, 2017, after several postponements, it delivered its final report to the provincial direction of the Council. (I)
