Paraguay’s comptroller criticizes Acahay mayor over incomplete reforms

Acahay’s municipal administration completed only half of the measures it was instructed to carry out, according to a new evaluation by Paraguay’s Comptroller General’s Office.

The comptroller said the municipality implemented 50% of the 20 points included in an administrative improvement plan. It also said the administration failed to submit documents proving that the proposed corrective actions had been carried out.

The report identified several problems involving public money. It said the municipality hired workers for the school-lunch program without sufficient documentation and made construction payments with funds from Fonacide, Paraguay’s National Public Investment and Development Fund, without proper supporting records.

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The overall level of compliance achieved by the Municipality of Acahay is partial compliance. The municipality did not provide documents that would verify the implementation of the corrective actions.

The evaluation also found municipal checks cashed by third parties whose endorsements differed from suppliers’ signatures. The comptroller cited invalid receipts in Fonacide accounts and documentation gaps involving royalties and other compensation payments.

The report classified Acahay’s overall compliance as partial. Mayor Aldo Lezcano, who has been accused of sexual harassment by former municipal employees, had submitted the improvement plan after an earlier audit. The comptroller’s latest review said the municipality had not adequately documented its corrective actions.

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The Municipality of Acahay presented an improvement plan with the corrective actions and those responsible for implementing them, but not the supporting documents demonstrating the proposed improvements from the 20 observations identified in the final report.