By Saio Marrah
As Audit Service Sierra Leone presents its 2020 annual report to the House of Parliament, the leader of National Grand Coalition (NGC) party, Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella has raised a notice of motion for parliamentarians to debate the report.
Dr. Yumkella, while making his submission on Thursday 16th December, 2021 said MPs have been continuously requesting that they debate the various reports of the Auditor General.
He therefore informed the house about his proposed motion, which was seconded by another opposition member, Abdul Hassan Sesay. Dr. Yumkella further informed colleagues that he had already served them the formal notice of motion.
The notice of motion reads: “Be it resolved that the Audit Report on the account of Sierra Leone for 2020, which was laid on the table of the house on Tuesday 14th December, 2021, be debated by this honourable house in pursuant of section 119 sub-sections 5 of 1991 constitution.”
But the Deputy Leader of Government Business, Bashiru Silikie, objected that the motion should not stand because according to him, they as government MP’s have not received the written notice of motion to be debated.
He also added that it is not on the Order Paper, which is the agenda of parliamentary daily programmes to be discussed.
However, the Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Abass Bundu, intervened by confirming that Dr. Yumkella had submitted the written notice of motion and that as Speaker had passed it on to its proper destination.
Every financial year, government allocates fund to all Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs) to effectively carry out their functions.
Working on behalf of parliament, the Audit Service at the end of every year presents its report to parliament after auditing the various MDAs on how they spent funds allocated to them for different activities.
Parliament, through the Public Account Committee, will after Audit Service present its report, do their findings and also present their report that will be debate at plenary. After which, they will make recommendations including prosecution at the Anti-Corruption Commission or fine as the case may be.
The audit report for every year since the last regime has been revealing huge sums of money unaccounted for by the various MDAs.
Early this year, Members of Parliament that include Lahai Marah of Constituency 042, Falaba, Dr. Yumkella and Paramount Chief Member of Parliament for Tonkolili, Bai Kurr Kanagbaro Sanka III, demanded a debate on the 2019 audit report, but that has not yet been done. The 2020 audit report was released last week. The Auditor-General Lara Taylor Pearce and one of her deputies Tamba Momoh are suspended following government concerns about the conduct of the office. A Tribunal has been set up to probe the Audit Service.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (20/12/21)
