In MICM there were 71 advisors and payroll payments were made without support, according to CC

The audit conducted by the Chamber of Accounts of the Dominican Republic to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes (MICM) for the period 2015-2019, reveals that in the institution 71 people earned approximately RD$228 million pesos in salaries with the position of advisors, without the authorization of the Ministry of Public Administration.

In response to this finding, the then ministers of that entity, Temístocles Montás and Nelson Toca Simó, stated that during the first three years of the period indicated (2015-2019), there was no regulation governing the hiring of personnel and that it was from April 20, 2018, when the MAP issued resolution 40-2018, which establishes the procedure.

However, the irregularity raised by the Audit Chamber is maintained in the report, and it responded that they were able to verify that during 2015-2019 it maintained on its payrolls people united by ties of consanguinity or affinity with 2 officials of this, to whom the amount of RD$4,999,667 Dominican pesos was disbursed.

Another relevant finding of the aforementioned audit is the payment for payroll, without justification, of alleged compensations for the use of private vehicles during work and overtime amounting to RD$18.5 million pesos during the years 2015 and 2016.

Likewise, total payroll payments without support were detected for an amount of RD44.4 million pesos, according to the difference detected by the auditors between the budget execution and the approved and paid disbursements, following the criterion established in the accrued stage.

“These differences may occur because, at the end of a month, some payrolls of newly hired personnel have remained or because some have had variations in their salaries and the personnel actions have reached the financial payroll division of the Financial Directorate,” responded former MICM ministers Nelson Toca Simó and Temístocles Montás via communication.