By Fatou Sillah
The 2023 Auditor General’s Report has revealed more than D3.8 billion in undisclosed arrears across government ministries, departments, and agencies, raising alarm over weak financial controls and transparency in public spending.
According to the findings, the Office of the President accounted for arrears totaling D17.1 million, the Ministry of Agriculture D13.6 million, and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education D3.3 million. In total, arrears worth D34.1 million went unreported.
The report also pointed to a sharp increase in litigation costs, which rose from D9.8 million in 2021 to D112.4 million in 2023. In addition, contingent liabilities were valued at D3.6 billion. “These contingent liabilities may materialize depending on the outcome of legal disputes, and their escalation poses a significant risk to the government’s fiscal stability,” the report warned.
Auditors further uncovered discrepancies in the disclosure of account balances, citing a variance of D6 million between the general ledger and figures reported in the financial statements. They also noted that several transit accounts remained unclear at the end of the financial year.
Other irregularities flagged include the retrospective retirement of imprests amounting to D193,000, payment of unearned salaries worth D480,738, and cases where staff received both basic car and transport allowances without verification, costing D2.1 million. Unrecovered loans totaling D2.5 million and dual salary payments of D215,866 to seconded officers were also highlighted.