Torremolinos town hall's accounts are full of mistakes, say auditors

2016-10-22 08:00:00

A major auditors investigation into the finances of Torremolinos town council has revealed so many errors and bad practices that they “don’t reflect reality”.
The analysis on the local authority’s books covers the years 2011 to 2014 , when the previous long-serving Partido Popular (PP) administration was still in power. When the PPwas ousted by a coalition of parties led by the town’s new mayor, Socialist José Ortiz, his new coalition partners demanded an independent audit of the town’s accounts.
Among the many conclusions of the auditors’ report is the failure to have expenditure signed off correctly. Rather than following formal guidelines, this was done at the discretion of the previous mayor, Pedro Fernández Montes and his advisers, the report says.
In addition, the analysis describes how there was no updated inventory of town hall assets and a mismatch of over 80 million euros in the 2014 cash surplus accounts.
The auditors say that the town hall’s subsidy of the IBIlocal rates for many local residents could be illegal under Spanish law.
The full report findings will be discussed at a council meeting before any decision on taking legal action against the previous town hall administration is made.source surinenglish