The Administration Attorney, Rigoberto González, sent a note to the Comptroller Gerardo Solís, in which he asked for a clarification of the reports received by that institution, in order to resolve the use made by the local government authorities of the funds. of decentralization.
The procedure was carried out after the Supreme Court of Justice sent González a complaint in which he asked to examine the conduct of the officials of the Comptroller’s Office and of the local governments (mayors and representatives of the corregimiento), in the allocation of funds from mobilization, expenses that, according to the Comptroller’s Office, are covered by the law that decentralizes the public administration (Law 37 of 2009, amended by Law 66 of 2015).
On the first occasion, Solís refused to answer Attorney González’s questions regarding the complaint, claiming that he lacked the competence to investigate it. He brought out the new Law 258 of November 26, 2021, which restores to the magistrates of the Court the power to administratively investigate high-profile officials, such as the Comptroller General of the Republic.
However, the presiding magistrate of the Court, María Eugenia López, argued that articles 86 and 87 of the Judicial Code, which establish the powers of the magistrates of that court, do not confer on her the power to investigate the official conduct of officials of the Court. the Comptroller’s Office.
The complaint for this case was presented by the lawyer Ernesto Cedeño.
Data provided by the Comptroller’s Office indicate that mayors and representatives have substantially increased their monthly income, precisely because of mobilization expenses.
The 10 mayors who earn the most in the country have salaries between $ 7,350 and $ 12,250, thanks to those funds. Those 10 mayors represent an expense to the State of $ 1,159,416 per year, because apart from salaries, they receive expenses for mobilization, representation, and allowances.
In addition, most of them have a State car with their respective driver.
For the lawyer Cedeño, an investigation is required to determine the use that is given to these expensive emoluments.
Cedeño stressed that these are public funds whose allocation requires justification and controls to avoid wastage. He explained that the complaint he presented to the Administration Attorney seeks precisely that: to clarify the use that is given to decentralization funds.
