Africa-Press – Lesotho. The government “continues” to contravene the financial management and accountability laws including the Constitution, the acting Auditor-General (AG) Monica Besetsa has said.
This she said in a press conference in Maseru earlier this week. Besetsa said she is concerned about the government’s “continued” practice where the Ministries overuse what the Parliament had
initially appropriated to them. The AG said if this happens, there ought to be a supplementary appropriation act that should regularise such spending but this
has been happening despite warning the government of this illegal practice. “In my 2016/2017 Audit Report, I reported that the Minister’s directive was contrary to the requirements of the Constitution and
of PFMA [Public Financial Management Accountability] Act 2011, to transfer an amount of M450 million from the Trust Monies Account into Consolidated Fund,
for onward transfer to Recurrent Expenditure Account. The amount of M450 million was from the Loan Bursary Fund administered by the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS).
“I have not been made aware of the necessary legislative requirements made to regularise the situation and whether the Government had
eventually settled its liability of M450 million,” said the AG. Besetsa said she was given inaccurate information by the Accountant General. The Office of the AG has last week published the
Consolidated Financial Statements of the Government of Lesotho for the Year ended 31 March 2020. Besetsa also told the journalists that there are only
three entities that have remitted royalties to the government. This she said is worrisome, intimating that the government’s representatives at such boards seem
to abdicate their responsibilities of regularly reporting to the government on the state of finances in those institutions. Of the three which have remitted the royalties are the
Central Bank of Lesotho (CBL), Maluti Mountain Brewery (MMB) and Standard Lesotho Bank. Section 117 of the Constitution and the Audit Act 2016 mandates the AG to audit and report on the government’s accounts and accounts
related to the Consolidated Fund of Lesotho. As such, the AG has the right of access to all government property including access to information and seeking explanations. The AG, according to the law, also audits entities where the government holds more than 50 per cent shareholding.
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