COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – A criminal investigation is currently underway involving the City of Columbus’ finance department.
This follows last year’s disclosure that millions of dollars were unaccounted for in relation to the city’s business licenses and application fees. The city’s financial issues have since become a topic of concern, with conflicting information emerging about the missing funds.
Mayor Skip Henderson’s call for an investigation into the finance department has now escalated into a criminal probe.
“This is an investigation of a specific act. I don’t know who did it and I don’t care at this point,” stated Mayor Skip Henderson, expressing his frustration at a city council meeting in January.
The mayor also revealed that private financial information of City Manager Isaiah Hugley had been leaked. Hugley said, “My wife and I are very concerned that our confidential information has leaked out from this city government.”
Eight months later, Sheriff Countryman reported that the initial investigation did not uncover any violations of the law that would concern citizens.
“We did not see anything factually that rose to someone violating the law,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Countryman.
However, further examination of documents has led to the discovery of more information, prompting the shift from an administrative to a criminal investigation.
“We did start out as an administrative investigation, if you will, which led to a criminal investigation,” said Countryman.
The sheriff emphasized the thoroughness of the investigation, stating, “We take 100 percent pride in the work that we do. When we do any investigation, we make sure it is thorough and that we are dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s.”
While Countryman could not specify which department might be most affected by the investigation’s findings, he assured that more information would be available to citizens in the coming days.
“Right now, we are putting all the pieces together, and we’re in the process of wrapping this case up.”
Although the sheriff remained tight-lipped about potential charges, he promised transparency once the investigation is complete and the findings are handed over to the mayor’s office.
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