CLEVELAND (WJW) – An exhaustive 22-month investigation by the Ohio Auditor of State has cleared Dr. Akram Boutros, the former CEO of The MetroHealth System, of any wrongdoing related to his compensation .
That’s according to a press release from Boutros’ attorney.
The report, obtained by the FOX 8 I-Team , sharply criticizes the MetroHealth Board for its failure in “effectively” overseeing the CEO’s compensation.
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Dr. Boutros was fired as the CEO of MetroHealth in November of 2022.
The board said at the time that an independent investigation found Boutros gave himself $1.9 million in bonuses without disclosing it to the board.
But the auditor’s report cleared Boutros saying the independent investigation was incomplete .
“Based on the special audit procedures and investigation, the Auditor of State was not able to determine whether Dr. Boutros had proper authorization to receive the SPBVC, as there was reasonable doubt based on the information gathered. We concluded that while Dr. Boutros did not share the development and management of the SPBVC program directly with the Board, he did share information with Findley Davies, which was tasked with reviewing executive compensation matters and reporting directly to the Board. However, we were unable to identify any supporting documentation for overt authorization by the Board for Dr. Boutros’ participation in the SPBVC. Additionally, our work concluded the Board did not effectively oversee the CEO’s compensation as his total compensation was processed through the payroll system, which appears not to have been reviewed by either the Board or the compensation consultants, thus directly contributing to its unawareness about the SPBVC program.”
Ohio Auditor of State Report on Dr. Boutros and MetroHealth