| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Momodou |
Posted - 15 Jan 2025 : 13:51:42
FPAC: Gov’t fails to provide update on NDMA’s unaccounted D137M
January 15, 2025
By Omar Bah
https://standard.gm/fpac-govt-fails-to-provide-update-on-ndmas-unaccounted-d137m/
The Finance and Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly (FPAC) has disclosed that the Office of the Vice President is yet to provide updates on its resolution that the Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency NDMA must account for all undelivered food items worth over D137 million.
In September last year, the Assembly passed a resolution following the auditor general’s report on the government’s Covid-19 expenditure, which exposed “serious irregularities” in the management of the funds. The resolution resolved that NDMA boss Sana Dahaba should account for all undelivered food items worth over D100 million on or before 25 September, 2023, and account for the shortage of delivery of oil worth D37,653,700.
The FPAC had ordered the NDMA DG to return the funds on or before 25 September, 2023, to the Accountant General and notify the FPAC, failure of which, the Inspector General of Police must launch an investigation immediately and report back to FPAC within 90 days.
But in a comment obtained in its reverse report adopted in December 2024, FPAC said the Office of the Vice President (OVP) did not provide it with any update on the status of this resolution.
However, according to FPAC, the Gambia Police Force has informed them that findings on the issue are contained in Phase 1 of the investigation and preliminary report submitted to the Office of the Vice President.
Also, according to FPAC, the Office of the Vice President has not provided an update on its resolution that the Executive Director of the NDMA should account for the shortage of delivery of oil by the International Commodity Insurance worth D37,653,700.00 and the money be deposited to the National Treasury on or before 25 September, 2023. But FPAC said the police have notified them that the findings on the matter is contained in Phase 1 of the investigation and preliminary report submitted to the Office of the Vice President.
FPAC further stated that the Office of the Vice President has also failed to provide an update on its resolution for the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health to produce the missing payment voucher in respect of the payment of D1,650,000.00, to the Auditor General and the FPAC on or before 25 September 2023.
However, FPAC said the police have informed them that the query is contained in the fourth phase of the investigations, which will follow in due time.
On its resolution that the PS Ministry of Health must recover the sum of D1,165,548, being an overpayment to Covid-19 Frontline Workers, and pay the sum to the Accountant General on or before 25 September, 2023, FPAC said it has not received any update from the Office of the Vice President but the police have informed them that the query is contained in the fourth phase of the investigations, which will follow in due time. |
|
|
