Finance Minister: Only D1.04 Million Recovered from D27.5 Million Flagged in 2023 Audit

By Fatou Sillah

The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Seedy Keita, has informed the National Assembly that only D1.04 million has been recovered from the D27.5 million identified as misused public funds in the Auditor General’s 2023 report.

The minister made this disclosure while responding to a question from the Member for Janjanbureh during an oral question-and-answer session at the Assembly.

“The total amount of public funds identified as misused in the 2023 audited reports amounts to D27,507,510, out of which D1,041,060 has been recovered,” he stated.

He further revealed that the 2024 audit report uncovered additional cases of financial irregularities amounting to D72.46 million. “Additionally, in the 2024 audit report, the total fraud cases amount to a tune of D72,458,141,” the minister added.

Responding to concerns regarding proof of recoveries, Mr. Keita assured lawmakers that supporting documentation exists and can be made available to the Assembly upon request.

“If a set of accounts gives evidence of receipt of funds, the supporting documents are there, but we can work with the team to make these supporting documents available to the August Assembly,” he said.

The minister emphasized that the inclusion of recovered funds in audited accounts indicates that the amounts have been verified by auditors.

“The fact that it is included in the audited accounts means the auditors have verified receipts,” he said.