According to auditors, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA), transferred D31 million across government departments without informing those affected before, and not even after the transfers were done. This goes directly against the country’s financial laws, auditors added.
FPAC says this kind of backdoor budgeting must stop. The Committee is demanding that all vote controllers must be consulted before their budget lines are touched.
The report was laid by the Committee’s Chairperson Hon Alhagie S. Darboe, the Member for Brikama North.
He stated that over D246 million in public funds was moved around without any evidence of ministerial approval, as required by law.
The Committee is now giving the Ministry of Finance 30 days to present signed authorisations — or risk the case being sent to the Police for investigation.
The report also found a D17.5 million gap between project account balances in the government’s records and what’s in the actual bank account — raising more questions about how special project funds are being handled behind closed doors.
FPAC has instructed the Accountant General’s Department to investigate and report on the missing money, insisting that every dalasi of public funds must be properly tracked.
Hon. Darboe outlined that cheques worth D62.5 million, marked as cancelled in the government system, were still withdrawn from the bank. Physical copies of these cheques — requested for verification — were never provided. Among them, nearly D2 million was flagged as cancelled, but the money still debited to the account.
If proof of these payments isn’t submitted within 30 days, FPAC says, it will hand the case over to law enforcement.
