The annual audit of the Iberia Parish Clerk of Court reports that a former employee was paid for six months after they left.
The audit states that the Clerk discovered the issue, but not until the former employee had been paid more than $15,000.
"The clerk established a repayment plan for the former employee to recover the funds. While not all of the money had been repaid as of the end of the fiscal year, the individual was making regular payments," the Legislative Auditor's summary states.
You can read the audit for yourself by clicking here.
The Clerk's response noted that the mistake was discovered before the audit began, and that a new process has been implemented to prevent this kind of error in the future:
"To strengthen internal controls and prevent recurrence, the Clerk has implemented additional verification procedures. Effective immediately, all payrolls prepared by staff and the third-party CPA must receive direct review and written sign-off by the Clerk prior to processing. This procedure ensures verification of employment status and payroll accuracy before any disbursement of funds," the report states.
This was the only finding in this year's audit; last year there were no findings so there were none to correct.
