A qualified opinion on fiscal operations reveals that five contractors were not deducted the 1.5% required from suppliers with contracts exceeding $300,000.
The audit notes that as of February 29, 2024, the Police Bureau had 390 lawsuits with claims of up to $557 million pending resolution.
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The Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico (OCPR) issued a qualified opinion on the fiscal operations of the Police Bureau of Puerto Rico, attached to the Department of Public Safety of Puerto Rico (DSP). A qualified opinion is issued when the instances of non-compliance, individually or together, are significant but not pervasive.
The Report reveals that the Police Bureau did not withhold from five contractors the 1.5% special contribution that by law must be deducted from suppliers with contracts exceeding $300,000. A contractor may be exempted from the special contribution if it submits a sworn statement (Form SC-1350) as established by Act 48-2013 and Circular Letter 1300-07-21.
From the evaluation of a sample of 27 payment vouchers for $664,084, issued from 2022 to 2024, the Bureau did not withhold $1,394, equivalent to the 1.5% special contribution, on 14 payment vouchers for $93,039 to five contractors that did not have the sworn statement. For the audited period from 2020 to 2024, the Bureau had awarded a total of 856 contracts and amendments for $124 million.
This situation fails to fulfill the purpose of raising funds to relieve the fiscal crisis and address the Government's operational expenses.
The audit notes that as of February 29, 2024, the Police Bureau had 390 lawsuits with claims of up to $557 million pending resolution. Most of the cases are for damages, violation of civil rights, and discrimination. The largest amount corresponds to a lawsuit for fabrication of charges and unlawful detention for $100 million.
In addition, as of October 30, 2024, the Bureau had not remitted the Annual Certification required by law for the Position Registry for fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023. This registry, administered by the OCPR, contains the information on the monthly changes that occur with positions in all agencies and public corporations of the Executive Branch.
The Bureau's budget from 2020 to 2024 amounted to $3,709 million, and it made disbursements of $3,193 million.
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