By Joseph S. Margai in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Twenty-nine (29) government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Sierra Leone have failed to submit records of their 2016 expenditures and financial statements of monies received from the consolidated funds to the Audit Service of Sierra Leone for auditing purposes.
A Auditor General press release says billions of Leones disbursed to these 29 public institutions from the consolidated funds generated from revenues and tax payers are unaccounted and seemingly in limbo.
Some of the defaulting institutions include National Telecommunication Commission (NATCOM), Human Rights Commission, Independent Media Commission (IMC), Office of National Security (ONS), Statistics Sierra Leone (SSL), Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PRA), National Youth Commission, Guma Valley Water Company, Electricity Generation and Transmission Company, Njala University, and the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), among others.
According to the Audit Service press release, the Sierra Leone Health Commission, National Pharmaceuticals and Procurement Unit, the Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Board, Produce Monitoring Board, are amongst the institutions that have never submitted financial statements since their formation. Yet, they have been receiving operational funds from consolidated funds.
It also followed 2015 Auditor General’s Report of which major changes stated that nine Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) failed to submit their 2015 financial reports for auditing.
Citizens’ Budget Watch, a civil society organization which monitor public expenditures and tracks performance of public budgetary processes, calls on President Ernest Bai Koroma to institute actions that would compel the twenty-nine defaulting public institutions to submit their 2016 financial statements to the Audit Service Sierra Leone for auditing purposes.
Executive Director of Citizens’ Budget Watch, Lamin Vanna described the failure by the agencies to submit their financial statement as a blatant displayed of disrespect for the Financial Appropriation Act of 2016 by these public institutions. He also referred to this as an act that sets aback the gains made in the fight against corruption in the country.
Government Spokesman, Agibu Tejan Jalloh, said “it’s a shame” on the part of all the institutions that have not been able to own up to a statutory responsibility.
He assured that government would ensure that the due procedures would be followed to ensure that MDAs comply to with the auditing processes.
National Publicity Secretary of the main opposition political party-Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Lahai Lawrence Leema lambasted that the release of the names of corporations is indicative of the fact that the government has not engaged in prudent spending and that MDAs have been engaged in corrupt practices that continue to cripple the economy of this country.
“Instead of the country moving towards prosperity, we are now experiencing austerity which the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) refers to as expenditure rationalization, but in actual fact, it’s a mere failure to be accountable to the people and to govern us well as a country,” Leema added.
The Executive Director of the Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL), Civil Society Organization (CSO), Ibrahim Tommy, has called on Sierra Leone’s Parliament and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to intervene.
“Under the Public Finance Management Act 2016, the vote controller of every entity is required to submit financial statements to the Auditor-General three months after the accounts of a finance year are closed. Whatever the reasons may be for their failure, it is simply unacceptable and should not go unpunished,” Ibrahim Tommy said.
He said Public Finance Management Act 2016 also empowers the Auditor-General to request any information, books, records, returns, and documents for the purpose of carrying out the audit of a public entity.
“Citizens have a right to know how their tax monies are utilized, and public servants who are paid to manage the country’s resource have a responsibility to give a full account of their stewardship to citizens. The Auditor-General’s job of examining and certifying public accounts is a constitutional requirement, and the need to promptly respond to information requests is not only the right to do; it is also a legal obligation,” Director Tommy added.
