Monrovia, Liberia – Supporting the Public Account, Expenditure, and Audits Committee, the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence has called on the national Legislature to lead by example in terms of accountability and transparency throughout the nation.
The General Auditing Commission (GAC) was invited by the Liberian Senate, led by Pro-tempore Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, to conduct an assessment of the Senate’s financial management system, which she said has been completed. She made this announcement during the official opening ceremony of the public hearing into the Auditor General’s Report by the Joint Public Accounts, Expenditure and Audit Committee (PAC) of the Legislature on Monday, July 15, 2024.
The Pro-Temp further stated that the Senate has received the GAC report and that the Body has authorized the GAC to send a team to make sure the proper people are in place to oversee the Legislature’s financial system. It also mentioned that the Senate will be subject to an audit in roughly two years. She contended that it is challenging for the Legislature to exercise oversight over organizations it wishes to be held accountable if it is not audited.
In addition, Pro-Temp Lawrence warned the GAC to proceed with caution as there may be laws that need to be taken into consideration, “The faster we work, the better we can implement those results and the Executive can have a timely report for implementation,” according to a Senate press release. Additionally, Madam Lawrence urged the PAC group to stick with it since it is the group that would provide the groundwork for trustworthy leadership.
The Pro-temp acknowledged that, in their capacity as the Legislature’s leaders, they are dedicated to guaranteeing the financial independence of Integrity Institutions and will supervise the timely disbursement of funds to enable these institutions to carry out their work in the interests of accountability and transparency.
A wealthy nation is built on its extraordinarily sound finances and rigorous application of the law, according to Amara Konneh, the chairman of the Public Account, Expenditure, and Audit Committee of the Liberian Senate, who also spoke.
According to Senator Konneh, the Auditor General has produced about 200 audit reports in less than three years, and the 55th Legislature’s task is to make the findings available to the public so that they can learn what is included in the report based on the public hearings.
He promised that the PAC will not fabricate recommendations for the President or the Legislature. He emphasized that they will be depending on the newly appointed heads of Ministries and Agencies to address any compliance issues.
For his part, Auditor General P. Garsua Jackson revealed that in the nearly three years since taking over as head of the General Auditing Commission, he has sent 184 audit reports to the Legislature via the Joint Public Account, Expenditure and Audit committee, covering projects funded by donors as well as government entities.
AG Jackson stated that among the reports are the first comprehensive national payroll audit conducted in the nation after World War II, the domestic debt audit, and the audit of the consolidated account for the fiscal years 2019–2020 and 2022.
This Wednesday, July 17, 2024, representatives from the Monrovia City Cooperation (MCC), the Liberia Opportunities Industrialization Center (LOIC), and the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) will appear at the public hearings for the AG reports.
