This table shows just how reckless those in charge of the nation's purse are when it comes to accounting to the people.
Despite repeated warnings and recommendations by the Auditor-General, there's a culture of open defiance, a culture of non-compliance with laid-down regulations and codes designed to foster a climate of accountability, transparency and integrity as laid down in the Constitution. The table shows that year after year, despite all the work put into getting these reports out - nothing is done that would see a change in the attitude of those entrusted with the government purse - the peoples' resources.
What you have are actors, lawless to the
core and with a mission to plunder all in their path with the tacit approval of
the rat at State House who has now seen a new channel for garnering funds - the
Ebola Virus Disease aid that's coming in from people who care. Organisations
that care. Yet deep down within the inner recesses of the thieving cabal - the
order is out - go and make whatever profit you can from the suffering and death
of the unconnected, from the suffering and deprivation that the poor have to
endure in Sierra Leone's hour of need.
Out of a total of six hundred and eighty two recommendations (682) only a hundred and thirty (130) have been implemented - a paltry nineteen percent showing quite clearly that the audit reports are never taken seriously by Members of Parliament, the Anti Corruption Commission, law enforcement agencies and State House where the authority to plunder appears to have emanated.
The Auditor-General has noted:
"Our public servants could and should do better. As I have said before, with a stronger commitment and willingness to address public financial management reform and strong enforcement of existing well-established laws and regulations, the matters could be put right quickly as other countries have done. That is the responsibility of the government and all public officials.
Almost without exception our observations and recommendations are not being given the attention they deserve or that Parliament, citizens and international donors have a right to expect. For example, Freetown City Council has implemented less than 4% of our recommendations and, from the nine entities reviewed, another three have implemented less than 10%. Overall only 19% have been implemented.
In absolute numbers, for the three years 2010 to 2013 there were 682 recommendations for the nine entities of which 130 were implemented, 508 were not implemented and 44 are in process. There is a clear pattern of ASSL repeating observations across all the audit entities we reviewed. The areas of repetition relate to basic tenets of public financial management and compliance with the laws of this country."
This is the fate of audit reports and this is the story of grand corruption and theft in the fiefdom of the rat and his cronies at State House.
