By Nasratu Kargbo
Seven institutions including the Electoral Commission Sierra Leone (ECSL) and Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company (Sierratel) have not submitted their financial statements for auditing, as stated by Martin Sandy Audit Service Sierra Leone’s Information, Education and Communication Officer.
Speaking to Politico on the 23rd of August 2023, Sandy explained that the institutions were supposed to have submitted their statements since March this year, stating that their office will be done with all auditing by December for onward submission to parliament.
On the punishment the institutions could face for not submitting their financial reports, Sandy said the audit service has no mandate to levy any form of punishment but confirmed that if these institutions do not submit their financial statements, it will be included in the audit report that will be submitted to parliament. “I believe Parliament has the mandate to take action,” he said.
“According to the law, they should have submitted by the 31st of March, and they are yet to submit. The law states that we should submit by the 31st of December”.
As of the time of the interview, the institutions that have not submitted financial statements were: ECSL, Sierratel, Sierra Leone Housing Corporation, Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Sierra Block Concrete Products Limited, Sierra Leone State Lottery Company Limited and National Assets Commission.
In the public notice published by Audit Service Sierra Leone dated 22nd August 2022, it explained that Section 119(2) of the constitution gives the Auditor-General the mandate to audit the country’s public accounts and all public offices such as courts, the accounts of the central and local government, universities and public institutions of like nature, any statutory corporation, company or other body or organization established by an Act of Parliament or statutory instrument or otherwise set up partly or wholly out of Public Funds.
It further explained that Section 86(1) of the Public Financial Management Act 2016 states that "Within three months after the accounts of a financial year are closed at the end of a complementary period mentioned in section 44, the vote controller of every entity in subsection (3) of section 86 shall submit to the Auditor-General annual financial statements of the entity for the financial year".
The Public notice added that Section 118(1) (b) of the Public Financial Management Act 2016 explains how the annual financial statements of a public enterprise should be audited by the Auditor-General or other auditor that is appointed by the auditor-general.
When asked whether parliament can punish institutions that have failed to submit their financial statement, a senior Member of Parliament from Koinadugu District Daniel Koroma said “Sure, parliament has power to ensure compliance”.
Politico reached an ECSL official who promised to notify the necessary department about the issue. But up to press time, we got no further response.
Copyright (2023) Politico (25/08/23)
