A joint session of the Public Accounts and Public Enterprises Committees of the National Assembly on Wednesday received the reports of the Auditor General on the audit of the financial statements of the Gambia government, for 2009 and 2010.
The auditor general’s reports were presented to the PAC/PEC by the permanent secretary at the ministry of Finance in Banjul, Abdoulie Jallow.
Jallow told the PAC/PEC members that an audit of the financial statements of the Gambia government for the financial years 2009 and 2010 was conducted.
He said the overall objectives of these audits are “to gain assurance that the financial statements fairly present the state of affairs of the Gambia government in accordance with the Budget Management and Accountability Act and Financial Instructions”.
Also to “determine whether in all material respects, the expenditure and income have been applied for the purposes intended by the National Assembly; and, whether the financial transactions conform to the authorities which govern them”.
Jallow added that the audit was done according to well-known and accepted international standards of auditing.
Also submitted to the PAC/PEC joint session in Banjul was the management letter sent by the auditor general to the permanent secretary at the ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.
“This letter contains observations that came to our attention through normal audit procedures”, stated Karamba Touray, the auditor general, who expressed hope that “all necessary steps would be taken to address all the issues raised”.
The letter stated that the audit exercise carried out for the stated periods, revealed “weaknesses in controls which need urgent attention.”
