By Nelson Manneh
The Public Enterprise Committee (PEC) of the National Assembly on Friday 6th February 2020 deferred its engagement with the Social Security Housing and Financial Corporation (SSHFC).
This was because the institution failed to present its Management Letter, Financial Statement and Activity Report for the year ended 2018 to PEC.
Hon. Halifa Sallah the Chairperson of the Public Enterprise Committee of the National Assembly said Enterprises are expected to submit their Financial Statements and Activity Reports at the end of each financial year and they should submit the reports not beyond three months of the end of the financial year.
“The committee is given the power to extend the period which has been done to put an end to the backlog that we have inherited. We are supposed to receive the presentation for the SSHFC Financial Statement and Activity Report for the year ended 31st December 2018,” he said.
The Chairperson of the PEC said due to the fact that many institutions have to regularize their reports, they have accompanied them in that process and the final contract is for them to present the 2018 reports before 31st December 2019, so that they can consider the reports.
“If that is achieved by any Public Enterprise, that Public Enterprise would have led the way in constitutional compliance and when we present our report to the plenary that institution will be highly regarded for the compliances,” he said.
He continued: “We believe that it is such compliances that will enable the National Assembly to carry out its core functions as dictated by section 175 of the constitution, which states that this committee is established to ensure that Public Enterprises are accountable to the National Assembly and to the Executive and that is why you are making direct presentations to the National Assembly for considerations,” he said.
Hon. Sallah said the objective of that process of accountability is to ensure efficiency, transparency and commitment in all the undertakings of the public enterprises.
In this regard, he said he should have put the question for the members to consider that the management of SSHFC presents its Financial Statement and Activity Report for the year ended 31st December 2018, but upon consultation with the Clerk and the staff of the cooperation, it is clear that the documents are not available.
He said the consultation has yielded consent for them to defer the presentation to Monday 10th February 2020.
Muhammed Manjang the Managing Director of the SSHFC for his part said they will comply with the demands of the National Assembly PEC committee and they will do the submission of the documents before Monday.
