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Fulton County commissioner demands accountability for $10M intended for small minority businesses

After nearly a year of 11Alive asking for transparency, the Chairman of the Fulton County Commission is now asking minority banks for an accounting.

ATLANTA — There's growing pressure for answers following the monthly meeting of the Fulton County Commission. 

Nearly a year ago, 11Alive started asking the commissioners tough questions about how federal COVID-19 rescue funds were being disbursed. Now, a county commissioner is pressing for accountability as well.  

The $10 million was supposed to go to minority-owned banks in Fulton County to bail out minority-owned businesses and help fund entrepreneurial endeavors during the pandemic.

However, when 11Alive first started trying to track the money, we discovered there wasn’t clear accountability for it. After trying to get answers for months, Fulton County Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman joined 11Alive’s call for action to get Commission Chairman Rob Pitts to agree to request accounting from the two banks: Asian-owned Loyal Trust and African American-owned Unity National.

“I think the citizens of Fulton County deserve accountability when the intent of the resolution is not done,” said Abdur-Rahman.

Pitts gave this as a reply:

“Madam CFO (County Chief Financial Officer), would you ask the two institutions that received the funds to give a report, penny for penny. I am sure the dimes are safe," he added.

11Alive is awaiting the banks' detailed replies on whether the businesses got the money as intended by the Commission Resolution.

               

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