An independent audit found Albuquerque’s fraud watchdog failed to meet professional standards in reports that uncovered $74,000 in waste. Now, two lawsuits are pushing the city to release six investigation reports that have been kept from the public for seven months.
The audit, conducted by accounting firm REDW and released Oct. 1, reported that investigators under former Inspector General Melissa Santistevan didn’t provide enough evidence to back their conclusions and often ignored conflicting information. Auditors also said Santistevan failed to properly supervise the Office of Inspector General (OIG) or set up basic quality controls.
“This review confirms concerns the administration has raised about the OIG’s professionalism, bias and compliance with standards,” Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel, whose office oversees the inspector general function, said in a statement…