By Kebba A.F. Touray
The National Assembly’s Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) has issued directive requesting both the Ministers of Justice and Finance to provide to the Auditor General and the FPAC information relating to the Janneh Commission’s Treasury Receipts amounting to Twenty-Two Million Three Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Seven Dalasi Ninety-Two Bututs (D22, 319,957.92) on or before 28th September 2023.
This demand was stated on Monday, 18 September in the ongoing Third Ordinary Session of the 2023 Legislative Year by Honourable Alagie S. Darboe, the Chairperson of FPAC.
The Committee also demanded the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in 2019 to reimburse the Government the sum of thirty million, four Hundred and fifty-one thousand Dalasi (D30,451,000) being payment made on an expired contract on EMP:101207 by the end of September 2023.
“The FPAC resolved that the vote controllers refund the government all monies spent on single source procurements that have not been authorized prior to any purchase effective immediately,” the lawmakers said.
The Finance and Public Accounts Committee of the Assembly dubbed FPAC demanded the Local Government Area Councils to prepare credible accounts from 2019 to 2020 by the end of October 2023.
“All the Area Councils are demanded to prepare credible accounts from 2019-2020 by the end of October 2023 and the accounts of 2021 and 2022 by the end of December 2023, and submit them to the Auditor General for auditing”, Honourable Darboe said.
He said that the committee also resolved that the CEO of Janjanbureh Area Council must immediately provide all missing vouchers on or before 28 September 2023.
“Failure of which, the equivalent amount to be deposited into the accounts of the Janjanbureh Area Council or the IGP of the Police must launch an investigation immediately and report to FPAC within 90 days”, he said.
Hon. Darboe said that the FPAC also resolved that the Judiciary prepare their accounts and submit them for audit to the Auditor General for the period ending 31st December 2023.
“All government institutions must immediately regularize all rental agreements they have with the Committee on Rental and Accommodations (CORA) and desist from any further regulations on their own,” he said.
He said that the Auditor General should immediately investigate the writing-off of Nineteen Million Seven Hundred and Fifty-Eight Thousand, Four Hundred and Ninety-Three Dalasi, Ninety Butut (D19, 758,493.90) by the National Roads Authority for an advance they have paid to COPRI.
