Santo Domingo.- An audit of the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Culture identified financial and administrative observations totaling RD$304.8 million during the period from September 2021 to December 2023, when Milagros Germán served as minister.
The audit by the Comptroller General of the Dominican Republic reviewed the ministry’s budget execution, purchasing, treasury, accounting, assets, inventories and human resources, identifying weaknesses in internal controls and financial management.
The ministry’s internal control system received an overall implementation score of 58.73%. While the control environment scored 97.67% and information and communication reached 100%, control activities scored 28%, while monitoring and evaluation registered 0%. The Comptroller’s Office said the weaknesses could affect institutional processes, information reliability and risk management.
The audit also found that the ministry’s accounting system was operating with some modules disabled and with limited use of its accounting component, reducing the availability of financial reports and requiring manual adjustments. The ministry said it was evaluating proposals for a new accounting system.
The RD$304.8 million cited in the audit comprises several monetary observations, including RD$144.6 million in budget under-execution, RD$56.3 million in financial advances for cultural activities, RD$55.6 million in differences between financial statements and the Asset Management System, and RD$47.8 million in purchases not registered in that system. It also includes RD$526,756 in purchasing processes flagged for possible splitting and RD$77,100 related to a tablet that could not be located.
However, Germán has disputed the presentation of these amounts as a single figure representing financial irregularities. In a statement issued Tuesday, the former minister argued that the observations are of different types and that the RD$304.8 million should not automatically be interpreted as losses, misappropriated funds or proven financial damage.
Germán particularly questioned the inclusion of the RD$144.6 million in unspent budget, arguing that budget under-execution represents funds that were not used and does not by itself constitute an irregular payment or loss. She also questioned the inclusion of RD$56.3 million in advances for Carnival, book fairs and festivals, noting that the relevant section of the audit describes the authorized funds and does not identify objections to those transactions.
She also pointed to findings that the Comptroller’s Office later withdrew or declared corrected, including observations involving petty cash, the attendance system, software licenses and inventory policies.
A subsequent 2024 report cited by Germán showed an improvement in the Ministry of Culture’s internal control implementation, reaching 83.32%, compared with 58.73% during the 2021–2023 audit period.
Germán has asked the newspaper Acento to correct and contextualize its publication, while maintaining that she does not oppose scrutiny of her administration. She said the public should be informed of the audit findings, the ministry’s responses, the Comptroller’s decisions and the issues that remain pending.