Lands Minister, Dr. Turad Senesie
By Mariama Bundu
The 2024 Auditor General’s Report has flagged financial irregularities at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning for the 2024 financial year, involving unbanked revenue and unresolved transfers totalling over NLe4 million.
According to the audit findings, revenue amounting to NLe3,541,598 collected from land sales, land surveys, and land regularisation was not paid into the designated Transit Account at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank.
The auditors also found that an additional NLe496,035 was not transferred from the Transit Account to the Treasury Single Account at the Bank of Sierra Leone.
The report further noted the absence of evidence showing reconciliation between the Ministry and the National Revenue Authority (NRA) to resolve the discrepancies.
As a result, auditors recommended that the Principal Accountant liaise with the NRA to ensure the transfer of the NLe3.54 million to the Consolidated Fund and provide proof of the transfer of the NLe496,035.
Regular reconciliation of accounts was also advised to prevent future errors.
In its official response, the Ministry acknowledged the audit findings but stated that its internal records, including vouchers and NRA revenue reports, showed that some of the figures reconciled properly.
Management also argued that it does not have control over transfers from the Transit Account to the Treasury Single Account and claimed that reconciliation documents are available for inspection.
However, in its final comment, the Audit Service Sierra Leone said no evidence was presented during verification to confirm that the NLe3,541,598 had been deposited into the Transit Account.
The auditors also stated that confirmation of the transfer of NLe496,035 to the Treasury Single Account had not been received.
Consequently, both issues remain unresolved.
