By: Kebba AF Touray
The Auditor General (AG) of the National Audit Office (NAO), Modou Ceesay, has unveiled that he has noted difference of One Billion, Two Hundred and Eighty-Five Million, Four Hundred and Sixty-One Thousand, One Hundred and Four Dalasi and Twenty-Five Bututs (D1,285,461,104.25).
The AG revealed this difference in the 2020 accounts of the Government of the Gambia, in his certificate of Auditor General on the said 2020 accounts of the Government of the Gambia.
The AG revealed “I noted differences of D 1,285,461,104.25 between the extended trial balance and the account receivable under the Statement of Financial Position resulting in an overstatement of current assets”.
He also indicated that he has noted that three account line items totaling D78,498,651.65 (over 78 million dalasis) and Other Taxes amounting to D52,568,890.08 (over 52 million dalasis) that were not mapped to any disclosure line item in the Extended Trial balance resulting to an understatement of the Financial Statements.
“I noted difference between the general ledger balance and cashbook balance amounting to D 10,086,877.61 (over 10 million dalasis) resulting to an understatement of cash and cash equivalent balance disclosed in the Financial Statements”, he said.
He further unveiled that he has noted a difference of D 6,867,058,340.00 (over 6 billion dalasis) between the balance of cash disclosed in the statement of financial position and the balance as per the statement of cash receipts and payments.
“I noted inconsistency in the amount of revenue and expenditure disclosed in the Statement of Revenue and Expenditure and the Statement of Detailed Revenue and Expenditure amounting to D 2,702,473,590.99 (over 2 billion) and D2,275,635,310.28 (over 2 billion) respectively”, he said.
He averred that he noted that transfers (transit accounts) balance amounting to D1,006,493,482.00 (over 1 billion) were not cleared as at year end.
As a result, he said the designated accounts to which the final entries should be made are understated. He noted that foreign currency held account balance was not translated using the Central Bank of The Gambia closing leading to an understatement of D490,351.00 in the cash balance.
The AG continued to say that he noted differences amounting to D 3,923,368.50 (over 3.9 million) between amounts transferred to the Bank and figures derived from revenue records resulting in unaccounted revenue.
On Misclassification, the AG reported “I noted Misclassifications totaling D108,452,653.61 (over 108 million) in respect of loan payments (Principal & Interest). I noted that cancelled Cheque totaling D1,921,215.58 that were encashed during the year. I noted that the Accountant General failed to quantify and disclose Losses of public monies in the Financial Statement”.
Delving in the Untraced GTR and IFMIS receipts to the Deposit Slip, he stated that he noted that the serial numbers of GTRS and IFMIS receipts are not indicated on the bank deposit slips at the time of depositing revenue collected during the period under review by Ministry of Justice and Department of Geology.
“This cast doubt as to whether the revenue collected amounting to D7, 279,194.00 and D43,500.00 for the Department of Geology and Ministry of Justice respectively was lodged to the relevant bank account”, AG Ceesay stressed.
On failure to present supporting documents, he also noted revenue collections amounting to D 2,991,957.85 at the Department of Geology and Department of Fisheries were made without adequate supporting documents.
These documents, he stated relate to application of license certificate, Approval or awarded Vendor, Meeting Minutes of the Committee and Notification by Navy etc.
On Virement, he said that a review of Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) files at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs revealed that virements totaling D 31,017,356.00 (over 31 million) were made between and across budget entities.
He added that he also noted that there was no formal notification sent by Ministry of Finance to the budget agency /entities before or after the virements were made contrary to the above Public Finance Act.
“I noted that twenty (20) virements amounting to D79, 058,793.00 were made within and across sectors to create new post contrary to the aforementioned regulation”, he said on Virement to create new post.
