Monrovia – In his quest to promote accountability at the House of Representatives, Speaker J. Fonati Koffa has invited the Auditor General to make a presentation on the importance of transparency and accountability as it relates to the work of the House of Representatives.
The audit, if carried out, would be the first post-war audit of the House.
Speaker Koffa told FrontPageAfrica that the invitation to the Auditor General was a fulfillment of his promise to run a more transparent and accountable House.
Speaker Koffa stated, “During the speaker elections, we promised the members and the general public that we will run a more transparent and accountable house. The invitation to the GAC and the subsequent agreement to refer this to relevant committees is a fulfillment of that pledge. It’s sad that the house has not been audited for about 30 years. We are resolved to no longer do business as usual.”
Meanwhile, upon appearing at the House on Thursday, the Auditor General, P. Garswa Jackson, Sr., proposed a System Review Audit of the Legislature within a period of two years as part of efforts to ensure a future Comprehensive audit of that Branch of Government.
“During the speaker elections, we promised the members and the general public that we will run a more transparent and accountable house. The invitation to the GAC and the subsequent agreement to refer this to relevant committees is a fulfillment of that pledge. It’s sad that the house has not been audited for about 30 years. We are resolved to no longer do business as usual.”
Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, Speaker
Auditor General Jackson revealed that the new measure will put into place a clear financial system in compliance with various financial policies including the Public Financial Management law and other important financial instruments.
This, he said, will be aided by the General Auditing Commission Follow-up Unit comprising qualified auditors accompanied by periodic reviews. The AG then disclosed that within two years, the Legislature will be comprehensively audited by the General Auditing Commission after these systems are put into place.
At the end of the presentation, the Auditor General’s proposal was tabled and sent to the relevant committees on Public Accounts and Audits.