The comptroller flags unauthorized collections and missing statements at the Port of Ponce

On July 13, 2026, NotiCel reports that Comptroller Carmen Vega Fournier revealed that three employees of the Municipality of Ponce collected public funds without an official appointment and that the Port of Ponce lacked audited financial statements since fiscal year 2020-2021. Audit Report OC-27-05, according to the outlet, contains findings on collection and use of municipal facilities.

The three administrative assistants collected $35,646 between March 2023 and August 2025 at the Municipal Vaccination Center Salud al Día and the Salvando Vidas Animal Shelter, despite not having written authorization from the mayor or collection duties on their duty sheets. That finding, NotiCel clarifies, does not imply that money was missing, but that people without the required designation received and accounted for funds, weakening controls. The municipal administration held that Finance had given the go-ahead and that it later created a procedure; the Comptroller kept the finding because Ponce did not present written evidence. Another finding: Luis A. "Wito" Morales Recreational Park was operating with a 2006 regulation that had not been updated. Between January and July 2025, staff allowed eight individuals to use gazebos without paying. Mayor Marlese Sifre Rodríguez acknowledged the outdated regulation and attributed the exemptions to informal decisions. On the port, the contracted firm abstained from opining on 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 for lack of evidence; the most recent audited statements correspond to 2020-2021.

This Ponce audit is not the school-food audit of July 1 nor the PRITS audit of the 14th. Three reports, three URLs. The reader who wants OC-27-05 has the NotiCel URL at the foot.

Source: NotiCel. https://noticel.com/ultima-hora/20260713/contralora-senala-recaudos-sin-autorizacion-y-falta-de-estados-financieros-del-puerto-de-ponce/