Reporting irregularities to the Inspector General

It is the reporting channel of the Office of the Inspector General, the entity created to strengthen the mechanisms of prevention, oversight, investigation and audit of government management, to enforce and sanction breaches of the laws and regulations on the administration of public resources and property, and to carry out audits and consultancies in government entities.

Any citizen with knowledge of fraud, an irregularity or misuse of public funds. The OIG says all citizens may file a report through the website, by telephone, by email or in person, and that it receives reports and confidential tips both from employees of the entity concerned and from citizens.

• That the entity be under the OIG’s jurisdiction: the office publishes both the list of entities it audits and the list of those excluded.Verified against the official source
• Knowledge of the irregularity: the OIG encourages any citizen with knowledge of fraud, waste or corruption to report it.Verified against the official source

• The description of the fraud: what happened, where it occurred, when it occurred and how it was committed.
• Why the person committed it, if you know, and who else has knowledge of the matter.
• Your general recommendations: the OIG itself asks for them as part of the information.

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   Step 1: First, check whether the entity is under its jurisdiction

   In its FAQ the OIG publishes the long list of entities it audits — from ACAA, ADSEF and ADFAN to the electric authority, the water authority, ASUME, ASES, ASSMCA, the Highways and Transportation Authority or the Integrated Transport Authority — and also the list of the excluded ones. Outside its jurisdiction are CRIM, the Cantera Peninsula Integral Development Company, the ENLACE Caño Martín Peña Project Corporation, the Office of Government Ethics, the Office of Management and Budget, the Panel on the Independent Special Prosecutor, the University of Puerto Rico, the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch and the municipalities.

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   Step 2: Gather the information the OIG asks for

   The office says it plainly: the more information you can provide, the better the chance of determining whether there is fraud or corruption in your allegation. What it lists is the description of the fraud, the place where it occurred, when it occurred, how it was committed, why the person committed it if you know, who else has knowledge, and your general recommendations.

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   Step 3: Choose the channel

   Three channels are published on the site itself: the email informa@oig.pr.gov, the complaint form at https://www.oig.pr.gov/informa, and the confidential line 787-679-7979. The OIG adds that all citizens may file a report through the website, by telephone, by email or in person. The office distinguishes between a "planteamiento" and a "consulta" and explains it on its Consulta o Infórmanos page; that explanation was not served in the version we read, so we do not reproduce it here.

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   Step 4: Confidentiality and protection against retaliation

   Two statements the OIG publishes and worth keeping in mind. The first, in its FAQ: "Our investigations are confidential." The second, in the footer of every page on its site: "The reporter is protected by law against retaliation for filing a complaint." The office does not name the statute granting that protection there, and this guide does not invent one either.

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   Step 5: What the OIG can do with your report

   Per its FAQ, the OIG may impose administrative sanctions for breaches of established norms, laws or regulations, and has the power to annul contracts, request restitution of public funds and refer the matter to the appointing authority for corrective action. It is also empowered to conduct studies, examinations and evaluations aimed at measuring and increasing effectiveness, efficiency and economy in the operation of government entities, and to recommend removing unnecessary or ineffective regulations and procedures.

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   Step 6: What gets published afterwards

   Examinations and audits are published on the OIG’s own portal. The office also keeps a Complaints and Orders section, where it explains that complaints are formal reports of possible irregularities and orders are official determinations providing corrective actions or sanctions under the law, norms, regulations or administrative orders, and publishes the most recent ones.

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   Step 7: If you are a public servant, there is another side of the counter

   The OIG also receives requests from entities for services such as inspecting the inventory-taking process, cash counts, inspection of forfeiture processes, of donations, of the destruction of valuables and equipment, and of traditional lottery draws. Those requests must be notified at least thirty days in advance. And government entities have the duty to give free access to books, documents and physical and electronic files and to any electronic accounting system, and to instruct their staff to facilitate the OIG’s work.

Through the confidential line 787-679-7979, by email to informa@oig.pr.gov, through the form at oig.pr.gov/informa, or in person at the Office of the Inspector General, 7th floor of Building 249, Arterial Hostos corner Chardón, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918. The general phone is 787-679-7997 and the published hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Reporting a municipality to the OIG: municipalities are on the list of entities excluded from its jurisdiction.
• Sending a two-line report: the OIG lists what information it wants and says the more you provide, the better.
• Believing you must be a public employee to report: the office encourages any citizen with knowledge.
• Using the general line instead of the confidential one when what you want is to keep your identity private.
• Expecting the OIG to prosecute criminally: its sanctions are administrative, though it can annul contracts, seek restitution and refer to the appointing authority.
• Confusing this route with the judicial claim for fraud against the government, which has its own statute and its own remedy.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Portal de Servicios del Gobierno de Puerto Rico (PR.gov)

  PR.gov

  www.oig.pr.gov

• OIG — FAQ: jurisdiction, what information to provide and sanctions

  prgov

  www.oig.pr.gov

• OIG — Published complaints and orders

  prgov

  www.oig.pr.gov