After the controversy generated on social networks about alleged diversions of funds in the Administrative Department of the Treasury of Cali, the director of the organization, Santiago Hung Duque, together with the deputy director of Taxes and Income, Diego Fernando López Cardona, and the director of Internal Control, María del Pilar Carvajal, spoke out to clarify the situation.
The controversy revolves around the ‘substantial discounts’ that 20 taxpayers would supposedly be receiving when paying their taxes, thus causing the Treasury to not receive around $1,000 million.
Hung Duque explained that the irregularities were discovered thanks to the exhaustive controls implemented both in the Mayor’s Office and in the Tax and Income Subdirectorate.
These anomalies, focused on the manipulation of accounting accounts to reduce the tax obligations of some taxpayers, were detected in time.
“The control process made it possible to identify these irregularities, and for that reason, the complaint was filed with the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic,” explained Duque.
Diego Fernando López Cardona supported Duque’s statement, highlighting that, after receiving anonymous complaints, internal controls were activated that revealed suspicious accounting movements.
“21 movements were detected for 20 beneficiaries, which exceeded one billion pesos,” he explained. In response, a detailed complaint was filed with the Attorney General’s Office and the district’s internal control entities.
The director (e) of Internal Control, María del Pilar Carvajal, ratified the collaboration of the Administrative Department of the Treasury by reporting the accounting deviations detected in the Income process.
External audit
Given these complaints, the District of Santiago de Cali has decided to undertake an external forensic audit that will review a period of approximately six years.
The objective is to identify deviations in the accounting accounts and present the results to the competent disciplinary and judicial authorities.
Diego Fernando López Cardona assured that the fraudulently modified values have already been reversed, and the accounts of the affected taxpayers now reflect the original debts.
At this time, action is awaited by the Attorney General’s Office and the municipal control entities.
Hung Duque highlighted the importance of internal controls that allowed irregularities to be detected in time.
He clarified that at no time was money diverted from the District Treasury, but rather they were irregular accounting adjustments, ensuring that public money is adequately protected by the Treasury Subdirectorate in the banks.
In addition, he reported that since May of this year, the Administrative Department of the Treasury has been working on the development and improvement of software that is expected to be delivered in December, which will help prevent the repetition of this type of irregularities.
Forensic external audit
In the Colombian context, a forensic external audit plays a crucial role in identifying and clarifying possible financial, accounting or legal irregularities in an entity.
This practice goes beyond a conventional financial audit as it focuses on detecting and documenting fraud, embezzlement, and other illicit conduct that may have occurred in an organization.
The main purpose of an external forensic audit is to provide interested parties, such as shareholders, regulatory authorities and the general public, with an objective and detailed assessment of the integrity of the financial statements and management of the audited entity.
In Colombia, the external forensic audit is a valuable resource to guarantee transparency and legality in commercial activities.
When wrongdoing is suspected, companies often turn to specialized forensic auditing firms to conduct impartial and detailed investigations.
This approach helps maintain public trust in financial and business institutions, thus contributing to strengthening the integrity of the Colombian business environment.