The Acting Auditor-General, Abdul Aziz, has released a public notice expressing concern about certain government entities that have not submitted their financial statements for auditing.

It is recorded that, these entities collectively handle substantial sums of money generated or received as budgetary allocations and subventions from the government of Sierra Leone for which they have to account for as due process demands, and eight of them are in violation of mandatory constitutional provisions that require them to submit their 2022 financial statements to the Auditor General. Among these entities, two have failed to do so for an extended period.

The non-compliant entities as was published by the Awokonews Paper are the Electoral Commission Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Housing Corporation, Sierra Block Concrete Products Limited, Sierra Leone State Lottery Company Limited, Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation, Sierra Leone Telecommunication Company, National Investment Board, and the National Asset Commission. Notably, the latter two entities have not undergone audits since their formation.

According to the Audit Service Sierra Leone, these entities are legally obligated to submit their financial statements within three months after the close of a financial year, as stipulated in Section 86(1) and Section 118(1)(b) of the Public Financial Management Act 2016 and relevant legislation governing their establishment and Section 119(2) of the 1991 Constitution also mandates the Auditor-General to audit the Public Accounts of Sierra Leone and all public offices, including statutory corporations and organizations partly or wholly funded by public funds.

The Acting Auditor-General Abdul Aziz emphasized the importance of adhering to these legal requirements and stressed the need for transparent financial reporting at all times.