By Jariatu Bangura
Deputy Speaker and deputy Auditor General
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, on Tuesday tabled the 2023 Auditor General’s Report on the financial accounts of Sierra Leone.
While presenting the report, Hon. Conteh highlighted several critical issues outlined in the audit, emphasizing the PAC’s responsibility to thoroughly investigate the findings.
He assured Parliament that the committee would review each issue on a council-by-council basis and conduct field visits to verify the implementation of reported programs and projects.
He noted a decline in compliance issues based on initial observations from the report but expressed concern over recurring problems such as retired individuals still appearing on government payrolls.
He revealed that salary payments were made for about 60 retirees without appropriate deductions for the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT).
Hon. Conteh also criticized the continued poor performance of the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, particularly in loan management, urging further scrutiny of its financial operations.
Deputy Auditor General Morrey Lansana explained that the auditing process is constitutionally mandated to examine all institutions receiving public funds on behalf of the government. He stressed that the Auditor General’s office has full access to relevant documents during audits.
“At the beginning of each fiscal year, we plan how to select entities for audit and proceed accordingly,” Lansana said.
He noted that unresolved issues from past audits, along with newly identified financial irregularities, were included in the report. He urged the PAC to ensure timely action to address these concerns.
The 2023 Auditor General’s Report has now been formally referred to the Public Accounts Committee for further examination, with findings expected to be presented to Parliament for necessary action.
