Keep off my office, Accountant General tells Beyleh

Accountant General Fatuma Farah has lashed out at finance minister Abdirahman Beyle terming nomination of officers to her office as an overreach and scheme to cover up financial mismanagement at the treasury.

In a hard hitting letter dated November 1, Ms. Fatuma said the finance minister did not have the powers to nominate officers to her office noting the move by the minister amounts to intimidation.

“Your letter appears to be threatening and intimidating the Accountant General’s office so that she does not fulfill her legal duties and whoever advised you to write about it has damaged the SMP office and program in which it has the government’s confidence and the international community,” the letter obtained by Goobjoog News reads in part.

The SMP (Staff Monitored Program) is an informal and flexible instrument for dialogue between the IMF staff and a member country on its economic policies. Under the program the country’s targets and policies are monitored by the IMF staff. Somalia is currently under a 12 month SMP.

The Accountant General’s response follows the nomination of staff by the Ministry of Finance to the Office of the Accountant General (OAG). Ms. Fatuma notes in her letter also copied to the President and Prime that the ministry of finance and the OAG are independent of each other adding that staff in OAG do not work with the treasury.

According to the Ministry of Finance organizational structure, the OAG is among 11 departments under the Ministry of Finance all of which report to the Director General. The DG reports directly to the minister.

But in her letter Thursday, the Accountant General warned that the minister’s decisions had created confusion in her office accusing the minister of setting up accounting systems which do not comply with the Public Financial Management Law.

The OAG is responsible for the preparation of accounts and financial reports on the execution and management of the national budget.

Goobjoog News could not reach the two offices by the time of publishing this article.