By Jariatu S. Bangura
Officials from the Agriculture Ministry before the PAC
The Chief Accountant of the Ministry of Agriculture, Matthew S. Jorkie, has been ordered to refund over Le49 million following revelations of irregularities in the ministry’s asset management records.
The directive was issued during a hearing by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is reviewing findings from the Auditor General’s office.
An audit report flagged discrepancies in the ministry’s asset management practices, despite NLe49,825 being spent on training staff on the subject.
The audit revealed that the ministry failed to maintain a comprehensive inventory register containing critical information about its assets, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the training program.
The committee had initially instructed the ministry’s Permanent Secretary to write to the Accountant General, requesting the suspension of salaries for Matthew S. Jorkie and Andrew Sourie, who are responsible for the asset register.
However, a plea was made to grant Jorkie additional time to present a comprehensive asset management report to the committee by Wednesday.
Committee members expressed dissatisfaction with the training’s impact, emphasizing that the program’s objectives were not met.
“The objective was never achieved, making the training unnecessary in the first place. A proper asset register was not established, and if the Chief Accountant fails to produce the register with a thorough explanation as promised, we will have no choice but to surcharge the amount against his rent allowance,” Hon. Tawa Conteh warned.
The Public Accounts Committee remains firm in ensuring accountability and is closely monitoring the case to ensure the recovery of the misappropriated funds.
