By Jariatu S Bangura
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee has directed the Committee Clerk to instruct the Accountant General to deduct Le5,000 from the salary of the Principal Accountant of the Ministry of Lands.
The fine will be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund as a penalty for failing to submit supporting documents to auditors on time.
The action is said to serve as a warning to others who refuse to comply with auditor requests, thereby violating Section 36(1) of the Audit Act, 2014.
According to Acting Divisional Head of PAC-ASSL, Christian Chinsman-Williams, the Principal Accountant violated Section 36(1) of the Audit Service Act of 2014 by refusing to produce NRA receipts, application forms, and evidence of citizenship records for 400 files related to the lease and sale of state lands.
Auditors recommended that the Principal Accountant must provide the documents to the Auditor General, or face the sanctions stipulated in Section 36(1) of the Audit Service Act.
In their report, auditors noted the absence of a management response or evidence of submission of the required revenue documents, leaving the issue unresolved.
