During 2006 several provinces and municipalities received contributions from the National Treasury although it did not explain why they needed the money.

It was detected by the General Audit Office (AGN) in a report that analyzed the management of the Secretariat of Provinces under the Ministry of Interior, which manages the funds transferred to jurisdictions to mitigate financial imbalances.

The watchdog examined 43 cases investigated in 2006 representing almost a third (29.7%) of accrued on that budget item.

According to the report, the process of granting lasts between one and two days. Originating the request "in the files says the AGN-, not the cause of the financial imbalance or emergency is identified," adding: "In almost all the cases analyzed, the requesting resort to mention 'financial imbalances' without stating evidence to corroborate this assertion".

In the exhibition are six cases where money "the reason that caused the order is not specified" and, in nine cases, the requirements are not even dated.


Moreover, there were six other jurisdictions that detailed why they needed the funds, but did not specify how much they wanted. AGN adds that smaller amounts than those requested were delivered in ten cases, "without documentation arising from the justification of the amounts granted."

In addition, the auditors noted procedural irregularities, for example, that the records "were not admitted by the table entries Ministry (of the Interior) and that in 25 cases they were not original documents, but "faxes or photocopies."

Against this background, the watchdog, which adopted its report on data in May 2006, said that "the Ministry of Provinces has no formal criteria, (or) a system of priority" to grant the ATN. It also adds that "there are no formal records of all requests received by the Ministry".

During the investigation, the audit noted the existence of "a spreadsheet, which is not possible to conclude whether the applications which are not given ATN were analyzed and rejected, or if failed to be treated."
 
The Watchdog also argues that "there is no evidence (in the files examined), the technical evaluation to be made by the Secretariat of Provinces on the requirements (of funds) before proceeding to grant ATN".

Under current regulations, when ATN is approved and granted, the beneficiary provincial government must issue a decree budget increase and specific application of those resources. A certified copy of the decree is submitted to the Secretariat of Provinces to enable national control bodies to fulfill their functions.

On this, the Audit verifies that the records were added "incomplete versions of provincial decrees" and had "missing on pages or annexes". The "existence of decrees partial surrender amounts (transferred), whereby the information on the total amount awarded and received is not satisfied" was also observed. Even, in some cases "they have not been added provincial decrees".

Examples

The AGN report points out that a national legislature called the National Treasury Contributions to 17 municipalities in Corrientes by $ 880,000 "without mentioning the causal order".

In this case, the province issued a decree, the 2,375 / 06, referred sending $ 620 thousand, which were distributed in 13 municipalities. Analysis of the information regarding the Audit states that "five municipalities included in the original order (Concepción, Ituzaingó, Perugorría, Parada Pucheta, and Riachuelo), was not granted the corresponding contribution, while the municipality of Santa Lucia which was not part of the solicitude was granted a contribution of $ 30,000.”

On the other hand, the municipality of Berazategui, in suburban Buenos Aires received two ATN of $ 100,000 each were given one week apart (one on August 31, and the other on September 4, 2006) "without evidence, in the second award, of the effects the first ATN had," adds the report.