By Nasratu Kargbo
According to the Auditor General’s Report the Sierra Leone Airports Authority, Sierra Leone Postal Services and Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation are three State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) that have not paid loans issued to them by the government. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition 2 Aaron Aruna Koroma has stressed that an arrangement should be made on how these institutions should repay.
Koroma made this contribution whilst speaking on the issue of loans given to SOEs that were not recovered, at a public hearing on the Auditor General’s Report in parliament.
“I think we must ensure that those MDAs that have taken loans are compelled to have a clear timeline to pay back these monies” he said.
The report explained that the loans which summed up to fifteen million Leones were given to the SOEs as stimulus packages during the COVID outbreak, specifying that a sum of seven million (7,000,000) was given to Sierra Leone Airports Authority, three million (3,000,000) to Sierra Leone Postal Services and five million (5,000,000) to Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation.
“These SOEs should have made a total repayment of SLE10, 000,000 at the end of December 2022. No documents were however submitted to the auditor to confirm that these SOEs have made repayments on these loans” a part of the report reads.
Another issue raised was the withdrawal of monies without supporting documents. The office of the president, cabinet’s secretariat and eight Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have spent without supporting documents, according to the Auditor General’s Report for the year 2022.
The MDAs found culpable are Ministries of Energy, Defence, Health and Sanitation, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Youth Affairs, Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Tourism and Cultural Affairs and Gender and Children’s Affairs.
The Auditor- General’s Report explains that they have reviewed the withdrawal of imprest accounts on MDAs to assess whether they were spent for the intended purpose and in accordance with the Public Financial Management Act of 2016.
The auditors found out that the MDAs spent a total of thirty-three million four thousand, seven hundred and thirty Leones, seventy-six cents (33,004,730.76) without any documentary evidence such as vouchers, receipts, delivery notes, amongst others.
It added: “Without the original records and documentation, the purpose for which the expenditure was incurred could not be ascertained, and these payments could have been misclassified in the GPFSs”
The Deputy Speaker Ibrahim Tawa Conteh questioned representatives from the Accountant General who stated that the sum was given to the various MDAs but that relevant documents were not produced because as at that time what they intend to use the monies for was not done.
The AG said the expectation is that these MDAs ensure they have supporting documents to show the monies were spent.
According to Conteh the MDAs will be questioned on the issue.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (14/06/24)
