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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Momodou |
Posted - 22 Apr 2022 : 14:52:57
AUDIT REPORT SAYS GOV’T WITHDREW D669M WITHOUT APPROVAL IN 2017
The Standard: APRIL 22, 2022
By Omar Bah
https://standard.gm/gambia-news/audit-report-says-govt-withdrew-d669m-without-approval-in-2017/
The National Audit Office’s summarised audit report on government’s 2017 financial statements has revealed that government made withdrawals amounting to D669 million without approval from the Accountant General. The report said the money was withdrawn from “Special Security” accounts which were closed on its [NAO] recommendations but were reopened with the same account name but with a different account number.
“We could not determine the balance on closure during the audit of these accounts, or whether the funds were used for approved budgeted activities because statements were not provided,” the audit report shared yesterday by NAO at the launching of its Phase 1 audit of Covid-19 procurement and distribution of food and medical items in the Greater Banjul Area.
The report, which was published in 2019 but was only made public yesterday, highlighted that the Office of the President paid a supplier D22.5 million for renovation works at State House through single sourcing, a week after signing the contract, with an excess payment of D424, 680 between the agreed amount and the paid amount. The auditors said another payment of D21.8 million was made to a supplier for delivering furniture, household and other office equipment for the Office of the President, without documentary evidence for the procurement or for choosing that supplier.
The report further highlighted that a payment of D11.5 million was made to a supplier for the purchase of six vehicles for cabinet ministers without any approval from the Major Tender Board, or for single sourcing by GPPA.
“Review of further documents showed that this procurement was done through directives issued by OP and bypassed procurement processes,” the audit said.
Irregular procurement
According to the audit report, Office of the President had claimed to have expended about D17 million in purchasing eight vehicles but they later found out that only seven vehicles were purchased.
“We detected a high risk of lack of transparency in contracting as the contract may have been awarded after the completion of work. The work was also not certified by the ministry of works. Although GPPA issued no rejection to the procurement, there is a high risk of potential loss of public funds in nontransparent bidding processes,” the report said
Improper management
The auditors added that receipts totaling D183.6 million were held in commercial bank accounts and managed from the Office of the President without any evidence to show that approval was granted by the ministry of finance to use the money for something else, or keep in these accounts.
In 2017, the auditors added, the government provided loans to State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) amounting to D11 billion without proper record management system to determine outstanding debt balance of the SOEs and the ability to accurately assess the amount of loans each SOE should be given. “[The implication] is that if the SOEs are unable to pay back the loans, the government will have to eventually write them off,” the auditors added.
The auditors also said in 2017, unbudgeted interest payments were made on government debts amounting to D121.5 million with no clear budget line in the National Assembly approved budget for 2017.
“There is a risk that this amount was misstated and therefore indicates a weak supervision of the budgetary review process,” the auditors said.
Launching of report
Addressing the stakeholders at the launching of the NAO special audit report on the Government’s Covid-19 response Phase 1 (procurement and distribution of food and medical items), the Auditor General, Karamba Touray, said the ultimate goal of the special audit was to track and report on government’s response and measures to the pandemic.
“It was also meant to hold the government to account in the use of public resources and recommend ways to strengthen the government’s response to this emergency situation, as well as future emergencies,” he said.
The Auditor General added that the report is specific to the procurement and distribution of food and medical items within the Greater Banjul Area and some parts of West Coast Region.
Read more on the launching on Monday. |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Momodou |
Posted - 11 May 2022 : 09:59:41
AUDITOR GENERAL BREAKS SILENCE
The Standard: MAY 10, 2022
By Omar Bah
https://standard.gm/gambia-news/auditor-general-breaks-silence/
Two weeks after the publication of the National Audit Office summarised audit report on government’s 2017 financial statements, which revealed that government made withdrawals amounting to D669 million without approval of the Account General from the so-called special security accounts, the Auditor General has broken his silence on the matter.
The publication generated controversial reactions from Gambians which forced the government to clarify that only D35 million out of the D669 million was expended by the current government. But responding to a Standard question yesterday at the Sir Dawda Conference centre where his office is hosting a four days international forum of auditors, Auditor General, Karamba Touray, said: “This whole controversy is like looking for a wood in a forest. You see, people have missed the issue because the question here is that the auditors have never reported on the account because we never knew it existed. There was a conspiracy to keep this account – remember there are a number of accounts revealed by the Janneh Commission which have never been audited because we are not magicians. We sent requests for government accounts and only the accounts that are given to us are audited. We have never heard this account until the coming in of the current regime and when they brought it, we looked at it and said in fact this has been opened since 2012.”
He said his office had recommended that the account be closed.
“They closed it and then reopened it. That was the issue. So the money is not about who spends what; it is about doing this outside of the system because it doesn’t form part of the public accounts and they needed to go through the treasury system because there was no need to open the account in the first place. It was used for fraudulent activities. That is why it was opened,” he said.
Names of current and former government officials were reported to have withdrawn from the account.
But Mr Touray added: “The people who benefitted from the payments are not the problem but the people who opened the account. They could have paid me myself from that account and I would not know. So that is the issue.”
Accountability
AG Touray said the NAO is confident that the current crop of NAMs and the finance and public accounts committee will make a difference in terms of ensuring that its recommendations are implemented. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 26 Apr 2022 : 18:58:53
The State House Twist
The State released a statement claiming the Ex-Finance Minister, Honorable Amadou Sanneh, is aware that the D669 million mentioned in the Audit Report of 2017 was an expenditure in 2016 when the Barrow government was not in office. They also said that the audit has established that the amount in question (D669M) was withdrawn in 2016 before President Adama Barrow came into office.
The Audit Report also highlighted the following:
1. The Office of the President paid a supplier D22.5 million for renovation works at State House through single sourcing, a week after signing the contract, with an excess payment of D424, 680 between the agreed amount and the paid amount.
2. A payment of D21.8 million was made to a supplier for delivering furniture, household and other office equipment for the Office of the President, without documentary evidence for the procurement or for choosing that supplier.
3. A payment of D11.5 million was made to a supplier for the purchase of six vehicles for cabinet ministers without any approval from the Major Tender Board, or for single sourcing by GPPA.
4. Office of the President had claimed to have expended about D17 million in purchasing eight vehicles, but they later found out that only seven vehicles were purchased.
5. Documents showed that this procurement was done through directives issued by OP and bypassed procurement processes.
So, if the D669M was an expenditure in 2016 when Barrow was not in office, then where did the money came from in 2017 to do the following?
1. D22.5M to renovate the State House.
2. D21.6M to buy furniture, household and other office equipment for the Office of the President.
3. Pay D11.5M for the purchase of six vehicles for cabinet ministers without any approval from the Major Tender Board, or for single sourcing by GPPA.
4. Purchase eight vehicles for D17M, which turned out to be only seven vehicles.
Remember, we were told neh Goloh dafa kopa kess bi! Just asking the questions rek. Nai lerr, Barrow bugut layndem!
By Modou Ndow |
| Momodou |
Posted - 26 Apr 2022 : 18:44:08
If the President is committed to combatting corruption and will investigate misappropriation of public funds, what is it now waiting to act on this very audit report even if it was about 2016?
The public officials in charge of public finance or at OP are still in their positions. But even if they have left, they must still be held accountable for any misconduct they committed. So what is stopping the government from acting on the recommendations of the audit report?
It is childish to engage in a ping pong with the former finance minister. If the President has acted on this report immediately there would not be a need for the former minister to even say a word in the first place.
So let OP stop throwing dust into our eyes like we are donkeys.
How many reports on corruption have been produced yet no action was taken? Where is the forensic audit report of 7 SOEs?
How many news reports of corruption did emerge in the media that show incontrovertibly that there was corruption yet OP never felt the need to investigate!!!
What about the D35M of public money put into the account of Fatou Bah Barrow that the President himself confirmed? Why was there no investigations?
What about the timber trade or fertilizer or petroleum and the many instances of missing millions such as the COVID funds? Why is there no investigation? Didn’t millions disappear from the Nawec account yet what happened? Nothing.
So stop spreading false information that this President is interested in combating corruption and misuse of public funds! That’s not true.
The Auditor General has a constitutional role and he fulfilled that obligation perfectly. Now it’s the turn of OP to play their part, yet OP has failed to do its duty but you wish to engage with a former finance minister in a meaningless and infantile exchange.
By Madi Jobarteh |
| Momodou |
Posted - 26 Apr 2022 : 17:36:29
Clarification on the Standard Newspaper Article “Ex-Finance Minister Tells Assembly to Investigate OP Over ‘Missing’ D669M”
The Office of the President informs the public that the headline “Ex-Finance Minister tells Assembly to Investigate OP over ‘Missing’ D669” on the front page of the Standard Newspaper on Tuesday, 26th April 2022 is misleading.
The Ex-Finance Minister, Honourable Amadou Sanneh, is aware that the D669 million mentioned in the Audit Report of 2017 was an expenditure in 2016 when the Barrow government was not in office.
The National Audit Office has established that the amount in question was withdrawn in 2016 before President Adama Barrow came into office. The Audit report published recently in 2022 is a result of an audit exercise conducted in 2017.
The Barrow administration is committed to combatting corruption and will investigate any misappropriation of public funds. H.E. Adama Barrow is committed to holding public institutions, including the Office of the President, accountable.
Source: State House press report |
| Momodou |
Posted - 26 Apr 2022 : 14:34:10
EX-FINANCE MINISTER TELLS ASSEMBLY TO INVESTIGATE OP OVER ‘MISSING’ D669M
The Standard: APRIL 26, 2022
By Omar Bah
https://standard.gm/gambia-news/ex-finance-minister-tells-assembly-to-investigate-op-over-missing-d669m/
The former Minister of Finance, Amadou Sanneh, has challenged the National Assembly to investigate the Office of the President over the missing D669 million in accounts managed by the presidency as revealed by an audit report of 2017.
Mr Sanneh, who was in office at the time, said the assembly should take up the D669 million as its first task to make sure the signatories are held accountable, especially the president who should take responsibility.
A National Audit Office summarised audit report on the government’s 2017 financial statements revealed that the government made withdrawals amounting to D669 million without approval from the Accountant General. The report said the money was withdrawn from “Special Security” accounts, which were closed on its [NAO] recommendations but were reopened with the same account name but with a different account number.
Since the publication of the report, fingers have been pointing at Amadou Sanneh, who was the finance minister when the withdrawals were made.
But reacting to the auditors’ findings yesterday in a Standard exclusive, Mr Sanneh said the reported withdrawal of the D669 million is news to him, saying throughout his time as minister he operated based on the 2017/2018 approved budget.
“However, there used to be a security fund under former President Jammeh and we said this should be closed because these funds were never audited and nobody dared to ask Jammeh what happened or where he got them. So when we came to office, it was decided that the account should be closed and we had hoped the account should not have continued but if the auditors have revealed that it existed in 2017, that means the same Jammeh style still continued,” Sanneh told The Standard.
Mr Sanneh said the finance intelligence unit was instructed to ensure that nobody accessed those accounts.
“So if the accounts were reopened, then it means somebody deliberately did it. So the Office of the President has full responsibility and liability to explain how they opened those accounts and how the funds were received because apart from the budget, I don’t remember giving the Security Funds to the OP especially the tune of D669 million when the country was suffering and crying for funds. I had to even reverse the budget and reduce spending,” he clarified.
Mr Sanneh said this matter is not a UDP or political matter but a very serious matter that requires further investigations.
“The National Assembly should investigate this because if it exists like that without approval, it is criminal and the president should be subpoenaed and possibly be impeached for this because the country cannot go like this, from one case to the other. This is not the way a country should be run. People should be accountable, they should be responsible,” Sanneh said. |
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