By Dolores Vicioso
Copyright dr1
An audit by the Chamber of Accounts has revealed financial irregularities at the Dominican Port Authority (Apordom), including unauthorized spending, payments for services not rendered, and suspicious asset sales.
The investigation, which covered the period from January 2015 to December 2016, found discrepancies amounting to millions of Dominican pesos. The audit was ordered in 2017 but had been shelved until its recent publication.
Among the most significant findings were:• Irregular income records totaling RD$66.5 million.• Improper use of a corporate credit card by the executive director, amounting to RD$8 million.• Payments of RD$93.5 million to cleaning brigade personnel with no evidence of work performed.• Payments of RD$22.6 million to contracted staff who did not perform any duties.• Unauthorized supplementary payments of RD$20.3 million to officials.• Payments of RD$20.4 million to 56 employees who did not show up for work.• RD$7.1 million paid to 33 employees who were already on the payroll of other government entities.• Over-budget spending of RD$24.5 million on fuel.• Payments of RD$2.6 million to a supplier with invalid invoices and no evidence of services rendered.• Direct sale of assets to third parties for just RD$200,000.• Improper payments of RD$76.2 million to employees for repairs, construction, and social events.
The report also specifies that Apordom’s financial statements for 2015 and 2016 showed significant accounting deviations and legal non-compliance.
The Chamber of Accounts noted that while Apordom’s Board of Directors had approved the use of a credit card for its directors, it lacked proper controls. The card was eventually canceled and reissued in the name of the succeeding director.
The audit also highlighted that the supplementary payments to staff were not covered by the legal framework for state salaries and lacked approval from the Board of Directors. The audit found that the payments were made to the “trusted staff” of the then-executive director, Mayobanex Escoto Vásquez.
The findings raise serious questions about the financial management and oversight at the Dominican Port Authority during the audited period.
Read more in Spanish:El Nacional
16 September 2025
