Annoyance has been evident among certain residents of Saint-Gingolph in Valais since December, “Le Nouvelliste” reported this Saturday. At issue: citizens of the village received a letter from the municipal authorities inviting them to prove, with supporting documents, that they had actually paid certain invoices appearing, since 2018, as unpaid in the municipality’s accounts. “For several weeks, residents have had to queue at the municipality counter, their papers under their arms, proof of their good faith. It’s a shame!” exclaims a citizen in the Valais newspaper.
For some people, this involves amounts of several tens of thousands of francs. An accounting hiccup would be at the origin of this confusion. Result: some invoices were actually not paid, but others disappeared from the account books or were not sent. The former president of Saint-Gingolph, Damien Roch, head of finances for four years, supposes that several factors, including “numerous changes to the position of municipal cashier” and a lack of resources, may have led to this situation.
Belgium
