Municipal pay blocked as soccer scandal unfolds

SALARY PAYMENTS  for staff employed by the Municipality of Arriajan  have been suspended  by the Office of the Comptroller General following two snap audits.

Comptroller Federico Humbert made the announcement Friday July 15, saying that officials must appear before regulators to answer questions about questionable payments. “Nobody can receive a salary from the state if he does not provide a service to it,” said Humbert.

“Nobody can receive a salary from the state if he does not provide a service to it,” said Humbert.

Humbert told reporters that the entity has carried out two audits in the community this week. One had to do with the issue of payments, while the other uncovered “multiple irregularities” in the payroll.

Among these, they found people who were not at their jobs and no paperwork to explain their absences.

“Nobody can receive a salary from the state if he does not provide a service to it,” said Humbert.

According to reports from the Comptroller’s Office, the investigation was prompted by complaints that nine members of the Santa Gema Fútbol Club and eight members of the Board of Directors of the football organization were on the municipal payroll.

Humbert said Mayor Pedro Sanchez Moro, who is a lead figure in the football club has to explain these irregularities.

The comptroller said that the municipality must also implement better controls to prevent abuses.