Corozal Town Council Audit Reveals Gross Mismanagement

Two weeks ago, the Corozal Town Council, under the leadership of Mayor Rigoberto Vellos, released a nine-page financial report. The report focuses on the spending timeline of the previous town council and according to Mayor Vellos; there were gross mismanagement and negligence under former Mayor Hilberto Campos. Part of the audit report speaks of the town’s former revenue collector, Oscar Garcia. According to Mayor Vellos, Garcia reportedly withheld thousands of dollars from the council.

Rigoberto Vellos

Rigoberto Vellos, Mayor, Corozal Town 

“Basically sixty-seven percent were not recovered from trade license. So how many businesses were operating out there and these guys were spending, spending money and not going to where they need to go to survive. So it makes you wonder how it is that they were surviving. In January 2014, the Ministry of Local Government wrote the Office of the Auditor General to report of “monies held back from the council”. From the minutes of the council meeting dated twenty-seventh, January 2015, it is revealed that Oscar Garcia, Revenue Manager at the Corozal Town Council had failed to turn in a total of forty-two thousand, seven hundred nineteen dollars and forty-nine cents which were revenue collected for the council. Oscar Garcia resigned from the council after he made a payment of fifteen thousand, five hundred eighty dollars and the remaining balance owed is twenty-six thousand, one hundred thirty-nine dollars and forty-nine cents. Now, where is Mr. Oscar Garcia? He remains out of the country.  The previous administration sought to minimize the fraud as a “little misappropriation” showing what little regard for tax payer’s money the past council had. ”

According to Mayor Vellos, the former Town Administrator Estella Campos should have been held accountable for such gross negligence.