According to director general of the agency Bakary Gassama, the agency is in a transition, moving from cash based accounting system to an accrual system and as a result, some necessary adjustments on information technology, delayed the 2017 and 2018 reports.
He disclosed that they wanted to wait until those statements are finalised and automatically they will just build in the 2019 within the shortest possible time to submit to the National Audit office.
He added that the transition is the main cause of the delay as they want to be in line with trying to perfect the system.
“National Audit office earlier called on us to conduct audit on 2019. But because it could not be possible due to the fact that the 2017 and 2018 financial statements are yet to be perfected based on the accrual system adjustments, which is ongoing and at the final stage,” he stated.
Aji Sukai Mbenga, director of Finance and Logistics also told the committee that the agency had never had an issue of submitting its activity reports and financial statements to the National Assembly on time, but as a result of the transition they going through, it caused the delay this time around.
“We have already submitted the 2017 and 2018 to the National Audit Office, so with the recommendation of the audit and the endorsement from the PEC who advised us to go back, retrieve those ones and start presenting our statements based on the accrual standard which we have started working on,” she explained.
According to her, the audit office advised the agency that they should be working on those standards. However, according to her, they have started implementing, and in between, issues started coming up because from the transition some of these things were not captured.
“To submit to the National Audit Office for the year ended 2019 and 2020 that would be welcoming. But at the National Audit Office, we have an operational plan of which all the institutions have a timeline where we work and audit them and DLEAG is scheduled for October to November for 2019 and 2020 in our operational plan,” Sidat Hydara, the representative from the National Audit Office explained.
He assured to take the matter to the office for an in house discussion to see how best they can adjust and give it a priority since it is of urgent need to the committee.
As a result, the agency requested that the committee kindly give them a little time to complete what is left to be completed.
