An Office of the Comptroller investigation revealed that he requested reimbursements for an official trip he did not take.
The Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico (OCPR) published the result of the investigation of a complaint alleging that the superintendent of the Bayamón Regional Education Office did not attend an official trip for the Leadership Summit in Texas from January 4 to 6, and instead took a personal trip to Spain.
The investigation revealed that the superintendent certified official expenses totaling $1,889 – including airfare, taxi, per diem and hotel – using screenshots of travel estimates and a certification in which he claimed to have lost the receipts after an accident.
However, attendance records from the Superintendent Academy XXXI confirmed that the superintendent did not participate in the activity.
The San Juan regional superintendent, also authorized to attend the Academy by the Department of Education and the Office of the Chief of Staff in 2023, certified that the Bayamón superintendent did not show up and that the latter told him he would be on vacation.
OCPR auditors determined that, between December 20, 2023 and January 10, 2024, the Bayamón superintendent was not in Puerto Rico. The attendance sheets and leave requests reflected that December 20 was recorded as sick leave, December 21 to January 4 as vacation, and January 8 to 10 as official business.
The report concludes that the Bayamón superintendent justified the official expenses with false information. The amount of $1,889 was deposited into his bank account on December 26, 2023. Because of this situation, crimes defined in Act 146-2012 of the Penal Code of Puerto Rico, as amended, as well as violations of other laws or regulations, may have been committed.
In light of these findings, OCPR recommends that the Secretary of Justice and the executive director of the Office of Government Ethics evaluate the referral sent on October 3, and assess the possible violation of laws or regulations. Likewise, it recommends that the Secretary of Education recover the money advanced and consider appropriate disciplinary actions.
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