South Fulton officials ask Fulton DA to investigate new mayor’s use of city-issued credit card
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - In South Fulton, an investigation into the mayor’s use of his city-issued credit card is pending following a request from city council members to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. Council members voted to request the investigation by DA Fani Willis Tuesday night after an audit revealed some purchases they called "questionable".
"The transactions were of concern," District 3 City Councilwoman Helen Willis told FOX 5. "We thought it was best to just send them over to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Fraud Unit to review and render an opinion."
Willis said they’re hoping nothing comes out of the investigation, but that council members felt they needed to take this step as part of their commitment to transparency.
"We have strict financial protocol on how they’re supposed to be used, and they are not to be used for anything that is of personal nature," Willis said of the city-issued credit cards.
The call for an investigation came as South Fulton city officials confirmed the termination of the city’s Procurement Officer Anthony Kerr early Wednesday. Kerr was escorted out of the city office buildings by South Fulton police, which is standard practice according to Police Chief Keith Meadows.
Willis did not comment on details of the transactions in-question—citing the integrity of the investigation.
"We want to be fair to the mayor and to the City of South Fulton but most of all to the residents. They elected all of us to be good stewards of tax dollars," she explained.
Mayor Khalid Kamua issued the following statement in response:
"In the last 3 weeks at Camelot, a woman was murdered in front of her 4-year-old child; another person was found overdosed on drugs in a breezeway; a third resident was attacked by an off-leash pit bull (already accused of attacking others) and several citizens are without power, due to illegal wiring, as we start the hottest summer on record.
"But last city council avoided all discussion on these emergency conditions in favor of a smear campaign about credit card charges that were authorized by city staff. It’s petty, partisan politics—and working class residents and seniors on Old National are suffering for it."
Willis told FOX 5 members of South Fulton City Council have taken the additional step of having their city-issued credit cards audited as well and they are considering options hiring an internal auditor. No timeline on the investigation has been set.