The comptroller refers to Justice $183,376 paid for a pier not installed in Vieques

On July 29, 2026, NotiCel reports that Comptroller Carmen Vega Fournier referred to the Department of Justice a finding on $183,376 paid in advance for a floating pier that auditors did not find installed in Vieques. In three visits, Office of the Comptroller staff found no evidence of total or partial installation. Some pieces were covered in weeds on a lot near the municipal police station and others under the contractor's custody, who could not specify how many he still held. There was no project file and the disbursement voucher lacked required information.

Audit Report OC-27-10 examined municipal operations between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2022 and issued a qualified opinion for four findings. Another finding identified $265,168 paid for services before the granting and the term of the contracts, plus deficiencies in auction notices. Auditors detected more than $27,000 in salaries for personnel transactions during the electoral ban without OATRH authorization. The municipality did not withhold $32,603 for services and could not present the 2021 relief certificate. The official payer did not prepare the informative return for the $183,376 payment; that finding was referred to the secretary of the Treasury.

As a special comment, Vieques stopped receiving more than $36,000 for the lease of a municipal property and did not begin cancellation or eviction, while the lessee remained in the building. The report is at ocpr.gov.pr. This magazine does not turn those findings into a charge. The amounts and the two referrals, to Justice and Hacienda, stand.

On July 1, Ey Boricua covered million-dollar irregularities and food losses at Education. On the 13th, NotiCel covered unauthorized collections at the Port of Ponce. Three audits, three dates. This one covers Vieques. They are not averaged.

Carmen Vega Fournier speaks; the municipality does not answer in this piece. The reader who wants OC-27-10 has the NotiCel URL at the foot.

Source: NotiCel. https://noticel.com/noticias/20260729/contralora-refiere-a-justicia-pago-por-muelle-no-instalado-en-vieques/