Somali govt’ cannot account for $12.3m spent in 2019-Audit report

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU:    The Federal Government cannot account for 12 million spent during 2019 financial, a report by the Auditor-General reveals.

The report which evaluates spending of  $340 million national budget approved for the 2019  financial year notes that the majority of government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) did submit all documents to justify their spending.

In total, the report says $12.3 million across all departments and ministries including the security sector cannot be accounted for.

“Under budget lines for most ministries, departments and agencies, payments were processed without supporting documents attached to payment requests,” the auditor general Mohamed Ali said.

Missing documents include purchase or requisition orders, boarding passes for travels, invoices, receipt vouchers and evidence for authorizations for those who travelled. The MDAs could not also present approved accountabilities for travel and names and signatures of those who received travel advances and invitations for travel.

“There were payment vouchers along with supporting documents that were not cancelled by stamping them with a dated “PAID Stamp” to prevent the use of such documents in support of further payments,” the auditor general said in what illustrates weak fiscal management in various sectors of the government.

According to the report, 55% of all ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government failed to submit their annual financial statements to the Auditor General as required by law. The security sector and the Upper House was the most opaque according to the AG’s findings.

The National Intelligence and Security Agency NISA(NISA) led the pack by failing to account for $1.3 million followed by the Somali National Army which the AG said could not prove how it spent $1.1 million. Somali Police Force also came on the radar of the National Audit Office after it failed to account for $418 million.

The Office of the President approved contracts worth $299,000 without notifying the Auditor General as required by law while the Lower House approved contracts worth $848,000 in a similar manner. The Senate awarded contracts to the tune of US $1,709,268.00 without the approval of the Auditor General, the report adds.