During its fifth sitting on Monday, January 20, 2025, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) addressed critical issues raised in the Auditor General’s Report for 2023.

Auditors were granted full authority to verify the existence of 33 staff members from the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO), following concerns flagged in the report.

The PAC announced that the physical verification process for these staff members had been successfully completed. Consequently, the committee informed the verified personnel that the matter had been resolved, allowing them to resume their duties with the Government of Sierra Leone.

“The issues highlighted in the Auditor General’s Report remain inconclusive until fully heard and determined by this committee,” the PAC reiterated, emphasizing its role as an extension of the audit process.

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Meanwhile, the committee turned its focus to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Security, raising serious concerns over poor management of resources and infrastructure. PAC members grilled ministry officials over the neglect of stores in Kissy and the failure to distribute agricultural tools purchased under the government’s flagship “Feed Salone” program.

Photographs presented during the session showed critical equipment, including harrows, power tillers, and combined harvesters, lying idle and unused. PAC members labeled this a gross mismanagement of resources, highlighting the dire need for accountability in the ministry.

In a direct move to ensure transparency, the PAC ordered the ministry to present three vehicles under scrutiny to Parliament on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, for audit inspection and verification.

Hearings on the Auditor General’s Report for the financial year 2023 are set to continue tomorrow as the PAC works to address outstanding discrepancies and ensure fiscal responsibility.