PAC takes agric ministry to task
Freetown, Feb. 19 (SLENA) – The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in parliament on Monday this week resumed its hearing on the activities of MDAs as contained in the Audit General’s report for the fiscal year 2011 and 2012. (Photo: Both committee members and agricultural officials in parliament)
The MDAs invited by PAC were the Ministries of Agriculture and Education.
First to take the hearing was the Ministry of Agriculture with outstanding issues relating to the review of Tractors Hire Purchase Scheme, poor payroll administration, receipt and distribution of fertilizers, among others.
During the hearing process, the Principal Auditor from the Audit Service Sierra Leone attached to parliament, Mr. Alfred Saffa read out some of the outstanding issues involving more than two billion leones which the ministry of agriculture has failed to provide supporting documents.
Responding, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Edward Kargbo said since 2011 they as a ministry have engaged FIB Bank on the matter and that the process was ongoing, noting that there were a lot of problems in the tractor arrangement.
“We signed arrangement with tractors holders to pay balances to the banks,” the permanent secretary explained, adding that the balances were not forthcoming.
The deputy chairman of the committee frowned at list of drivers working in the ministry and ordered that the list of drivers must be made available to officials of the Audit Service for further verification.
The deputy chairman asked that a written document should be submitted to the committee for further clarification on the number of drivers in the ministry.
In their concluding remarks, members of the committee observed that all queries relating to supporting documents and other issues concerning the ministry of agriculture were not properly placed before the committee and therefore referred the ministry to the Audit Service for further verification.
SB/HOP/SLENA
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