Connecticut Innovations Inc., the quasi-public agency that invests in high-technology companies, paid former Executive Director Frank A. Dinucci for three weeks he didn’t work after he abruptly resigned his $197,000-per-year post last year, according to the state auditors.
In a new review of the agency, the auditors calculated that the move, said to have been ordered by CII’s board of directors, cost the state a total of $25,295 for wages and fringe benefits to which Dinucci “was not entitled.”
Dinucci, a veteran investment banker from Wilton, cited “personal reasons” when he quit after just months at CII’s helm.
His resignation followed that of a CII veteran who had been selected to temporarily lead the agency and had himself quit after less than a year on the job.
The auditors reported that Dinucci, who was two weeks short of completing a six-month introductory period, had, after submitting his letter of resignation, used 72 hours of leave time, of which 22 hours had not yet accrued.
“Although there were signed time sheets on hand, our review of records documenting the employee’s access to the building, the removal of the employee’s authority by the board of directors, the appointment of a temporary replacement, and inquiries of CII personnel suggest the employee was compensated for time not worked,” they wrote.
Dinucci was not specifically named in the auditors’ review, which referred to him only by his former job title.
But Auditor Robert G. Jaekle confirmed that it was Dinucci who was paid at “a daily rate plus fringe benefits” even though he “hadn’t achieved” the six-month “milestone.”
The auditors wrote that they discovered the Dinucci matter upon reviewing the time and attendance records of 13 CII employees.
Altogether, they said, three employees had been permitted to use vacation and/or personal leave they were not entitled to receive.
CII officials, meanwhile, told the auditors that the agency reserved the right to make exceptions or vary any of the rules, benefits, or policies spelled out in its employee handbook, and that some introductory employees were granted advance vacation and personal leave time after approval was obtained.
They said the “arrangements” for Dinucci were implemented in connection with his resignation and the transfer of responsibilities to a deputy director as provided for in the agency’s bylaws.
The officials added that the “transition arrangements” were necessary to assure a smooth transition and were “in the best interests of the corporation.”
Dinucci was to be continually available to assist the deputy director on an as-needed basis, they continued, and as such didn’t require his presence in the agency’s offices at all times, which the directors “believed might otherwise have been disruptive of transition efforts.”
The auditors countered that there was no written evidence that an as-needed arrangement existed and no documentation to support that any work was performed by Dinucci for 22 of the 25 days after he submitted his resignation.
Moreover, the auditors said CII didn’t require written agreements governing the repayment of advance leave time used should employees resign prior to earning the time used and that CII had “made no attempts to collect the vacation leave paid that was never earned.”
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