January 13, 2021
By: Mohamed Kargbo
The Auditor General of Sierra Leone, Lara Taylor-Peace has at a recent press dismissed suggestion that she is a victim of threats relative to have work.
She was speaking in response to the recent 2019 Auditor General’s Report that has stirred curiosity across Sierra Leone.
“Nobody has ever subjected me to undue pressure…I have never been told how to do my work by anybody,” She says.
She stressed the responsibility of the public sector bodies and their appointed officials to be transparent and accountable to the citizens for the funds entrusted to them.
She says, “In the public sector external auditing, the burden of proof rests with the Auditee to prove their innocence when indicted.
While talking on the purpose of the news conference, the Auditor General said a number of issues were raised in the Auditor General’s Report submitted in December 2020 to aid the Public Accounts Committee in their oversight responsibilities.
She was specific about four issues contained in the report namely: the timber revenue, 47 laptops, 50KVA Generator, procurement of vehicles and motorbikes by the Ministry of Transport.
According to Mr. Tamba Momoh, Deputy Director for Special Audit “the 47 15 inches touch-screen Intel laptops, 50KVA generator, and the procurement of vehicles and motorbikes by the Ministry of Transport that were delivered to National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre (NaCOVERC), Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) and Ministry of Transport respectively were not the same delivered for inspection during the audit.”
Mr. Tamba Momoh added: “This is not the first time we are doing this type of report and that anyone who is receiving, any organization, any person whether partly or fully funded by government resources you are obviously a client of Audit Service Sierra Leone pursuant to section 119 sub-sections 2…”
He said the Audit Service Commission had not in any way being obstructive during the fight to contain Ebola and that will not be done this time around with the COVID-19 funds.
While talking on the timber issue, Mr. Selvin Bell, Deputy Director stated that revenue that should have been collected is quite different from the revenue that was reported in the financial statement and the revenue cash book. He admitted the permissibility of error in the law at certain time.
While talking on real time auditing, the Auditor General promised that as an institution, “we will continue to do real time audit which is in the spirit of good governance.
According to the Auditor General the use of all funds by the Audit Service Sierra Leone are audited by an annual basis by an independent audit firm appointed by Parliament.
She highlighted that, “As an institution we have huge challenge in doing audit in foreign offices because of our current funding gap.
The last time audit in a foreign office was done was in 2018, it was disclosed.
