Accountant General flags weaknesses in Public Accounting System

Accountant General Jennifer Chapman has flagged weaknesses within the public accounting system, but has also indicated that the Ministry of Finance is working to ensure corrective measures are adopted.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony of the 2023 Auditor General’s report this morning, Ms. Chapman said it is pivotal that all public funds are accounted for.

“This occasion ensures that we continue to strengthen accountability across the government agencies. The Auditor General’s report highlights to us our weaknesses within our accounting system. However, those weaknesses we use to ensure that we improve accountability and transparency across government. Public funds being spent, one of the pivotal and one of the characteristics of spending public funds is accountability and transparency,” the Accountant General stated.

She said that the Finance Ministry has lots of work to do in order to correct the system.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, Opposition Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figeuira has called for the swift release of the report for members of the public to scrutinize the government’s spending for the year.

“Equally I believe, this presentation of the Auditor General’s report being presented to the Speaker, I believe the time has come for it to be made public after it has been presented to the Speaker of the House rather than being laid and then made public. I think that is something that is something that we should consider, because all this work that the audit office is doing to satisfy the requirements should not handicap the public from being fully made aware of this report only when it is laid,” Figeuria stated.

Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir also stressed the importance of accounting for public funds and said while the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee faces the issue of infrequent meetings, there are several contributing factors.

“And this is not something of this Twelfth Parliament alone, and so it is a function of many things including how the instructions flow from the accounting general to accounting officers based on the treasury memorandum issued by the Ministry of finance, rules and regulations and expenditure and a number of other factors. If all of those go smoothly, then the prosecution of the auditor general’s report will take less time,” the Speaker stated.

Auditor General Deodat Sharma in his remarks, noted challenges in the accounting system but said his office continue to work to produce its reports on time.

“The presentation of this report marks the thirteenth consecutive occasion that the audit office has been submitting its report by the statutory deadline of 30th September following the close of the fiscal year. The audit office once again achieves a statutory deadline of issuing this report in fact before the 30th September following the close of the fiscal year and it should be noted that this is the fourth time before the 30th September,” the Auditor General said.