The Inspector General says Orleans Parish Communication District employees misused city credit cards. Inspector General Edward Michel told WWL today it’s possible the state constitution was violated.
The IG’s report also states more than 40% credit card purchases over three years amounted to $220,000 in purchases not approved by the OPCD.
Though no criminal charges were brought against the OPCD, Inspector General Edward Michel has instituted a number of changes and the OPCD has agreed to all the proposed changes.
“We made these recommendations and to their credit they have initiated an acceptance on every recommendation we have made. So this kind of thing doesn’t happen again,” Michel says.
Michel has also said there will another audit in the future and…
“If we go back in a year and determine that none of these [changes] were done or there’s more aspects of misuse of government funding that will of course warrant an additional further review.”
This time there won’t be retraining and advising of employees on the misuse of government funds, there will be criminal investigations.
“Should this happen again, then I believe it quite possibly could fall into the referral for criminal review,” Michel says. “I’m hopeful that won’t happen.”
