LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)- The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) this week was taken to task for failing to account for MK3 billion it spent in the financial year ending June 2015.
This was revealed when Ministry officials appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC).
Officials from the Ministry said they needed two weeks to get information on how the money was used, an answer that annoyed the Parliamentary Committee.
PAC however expressed worrisome over the development saying the ministry stand on showed incompetent of it’s officials.
The committee’s vice chairperson Kamlepo Kalua, observed that it is problematic that the ministry is unable to reconcile books for seven months.
Kalua said it is impractical that they can do the reconciliation in a space of two weeks.
He added that such issues affect implementation of the national budget.
“We have reasoned with the ministry to address this issue with the Auditor General (AG). The matter is outstanding. This could be a loophole for corruption.
“If they were not able to reconcile with the AG all this time, how can they reconcile within two weeks?” Kalua quarrelled.
The MK3 billion is out of the MK5.3 billion disclosed in the financial statements that were not recorded in the Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifimis) in the Auditor General’s report.
On Monday, the committee finished getting oral responses from government ministries, departments and agencies on issues raised in the Auditor General’s report for the year ending June 30 2014.
On Tuesday this week the PAC started scrutinising issues raised in the report for the year ending June 30 2015.