Our review of 138 installment contracts indicated that the payment collection process must be improved by strictly enforcing late fee application and terminating contracts for non-payment in accordance with the law. Additionally, the former Commissioner of Finance signed a contract with an immediate family member, who stopped payments after the second installment. No action was taken to address this until the Commissioner left abruptly on March 1, 2023, when all overdue payments were made within five days. This action by the former Commissioner, now jailed for embezzlement from a local nonprofit, raises concerns of possible preferential treatment.
