Financial irregularities prompt Oklahoma tourism probe

OKLAHOMA CITY – A special House investigative committee is taking a closer look at some financial irregularities at the Oklahoma Department of Tourism.

The House panel met on Monday to question the agency’s Executive Director Dick Dutton and Deputy Director Claudia Conner. Dutton acknowledged mistakes were made with how checks were written on certain accounts and that the agency also went for years without an internal auditor.

Dutton says new safeguards have been put in place to require more signatories on checks and a new internal auditor has been hired.

The House has been investigating allegations of financial wrongdoing at state agencies as part of its effort to root out potential examples of fraud and abuse in state government. The committee has spent several meetings investigating financial problems at the Department of Health.