An anonymous hot line has been established at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation after a preliminary investigation raised “the possibility of fraud and abuse” at the corporation, said Chris DerVartanian, chief of the Bureau of Audits, in a news release.

“We must pursue every avenue to expose any wrongdoing so that we can restore public confidence in the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation.

“Studies show that anonymous tips are the number-one way of discovering fraud, waste, or abuse,” DerVartanian said.

The recovery corporation is a $70-million state agency that oversees the Central Landfill in Johnston and the state’s recycling. The audit found indications of mismanagement, cronyism and potential corruption, including such things as inflated land deals near the Central Landfill, questionable charitable donations and handling of pension funds.

The Bureau of Audits said that, after reviewing companies that bid for the work, it chose Atlanta-based The Network to run the toll-free, round-the-clock hot line. The bureau encouraged recovery corporation employees, vendors and the public to call the hot line at 1-866-614-0742 or to go to www.reportlineweb.com/StateofRhodeIsland.

“We want to be clear that the operation of the hot line is completely independent of the Resource Recovery Corporation or the State of Rhode Island,” DerVartanian added. “People should feel free to report any fraud, waste or abuse anonymously and without fear of retribution."

— projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports