FPAC Threatens Sanctions Against Accountant General Over Missing Documents for D1.5 Billion in Expenditures

Alagie S Darboe, Chairperson of FPAC Committee

By Fatou Sillah

The Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) of the National Assembly has issued a stern warning to the Accountant General, recommending sanctions if her office fails to produce supporting documents for payment vouchers totaling over D1.5 billion in capital expenditures and more than D27 million in other charges.

FPAC Chairperson Hon. Alagie S. Darboe disclosed that the committee identified 32 payment vouchers for capital expenditure amounting to D1,517,329,882.42, and 20 payment vouchers for other charges totaling D27,360,324.10, all of which lacked the required supporting documentation.

“The Committee noted with serious concern that twenty payment vouchers on other charges and thirty-two payment vouchers on capital expenditure amounting to D27,360,324.10 and D1,517,329,882.42, respectively, were without the required supporting documents.”

He added that “The Committee recommends that the Accountant General’s Department should provide sufficient documents supporting the payment vouchers amounting to D27,360,324.10 and D1,517,329,882.42, failure of which the Accountant General shall be sanctioned,” Darboe stated.

In its report, the Committee further advised the Accountant General’s Department (AGD) to strictly comply with all legal and procedural requirements, including ensuring that no payments are processed without proper documentation.

Additionally, FPAC urged the AGD to resend the list of outstanding audit queries to all affected Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to expedite compliance and resolution.

“More importantly, the Committee recommends that the AGD resend the list of pending audit queries to all the affected MDAs,” He Said.

The report also revealed that D18,271,059 was disbursed as compensation to victims of the Faraba Banta incident, but the documentation submitted to auditors lacked critical details—including contact numbers, parental or next-of-kin information—making it difficult to verify receipt of payments.

FPAC is demanding that the Accountant General submit a comprehensive list of all individuals compensated, along with confirmation of receipt, within 30 days of the report’s adoption.

The Committee identified discrepancies in the deposit of government revenue by the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Geology, noting that the serial numbers of GTRS and IFMIS receipts were missing from deposit slips. As a result, revenue deposits totaling D7,279,194 (Department of Geology) and D43,500 (Ministry of Justice) could not be reconciled.

FPAC has directed the AGD to collaborate with the Ministries of Finance, Justice, and Energy to resolve these issues within 60 days from the adoption of this report.

An examination of IFMIS receipts also found that revenue collections totaling D5,097,141.85 at the Departments of Geology and Fisheries were made without adequate supporting documentation. As of the latest review, supporting documents for D2,991,957.85 remain outstanding at the Department of Fisheries.

The Committee concluded by recommending that the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance should impose sanctions on Accounting Officers and Vote Controllers who fail to submit the necessary supporting documents during audits.