Public hearing on the controversial special technical audit on the activities of the former government in Sierra Leone will commence on Wednesday, APA has learnt.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Segepoh Solomon Thomas, will conduct the hearings on the Report of the Technical Audit, a statement from the Office of the Clerk of Parliament said on Monday.
The technical audit was conducted by a team of local and international auditors, as part of implementation of recommendations in the Government Transition Team report.
The audit was conducted on eleven institutions, across four sectors: Social Security, Telecommunications, Civil Works and Energy.
It revealed that over $1billion of public funds was accounted for but the report which was unveiled earlier this month ignited controversy over the procedure used by the Auditor General’s office and the Ministry of Finance. Lawmakers were notably outraged by the fact that it was released to the public before it was presented to them.
They argue that the constitution requires that the report is presented to parliament which should discuss it before releasing it to the public.
The report was eventually tabled in Parliament on Tuesday April 9.
According to the statement from the office of the clerk, the PAC will hear from auditors from the national pension fund, NASSIT, on Wednesday April 17, while auditors from NATCOM, SIERRATEL and AFRICELL will appear before it on Thursday April 18.
All hearings will be held at Committee Room Number One in Parliament Building on Tower Hill, Freetown.
“Therefore, the PAC is inviting Civil Society Organizations, the Media, Non-Governmental Organizational Organizations, International Non-Governmental Organizations and the General Public to witness the conduct of its public hearings with auditees, including contractors and service providers with regards to the Technical Audit that was carried out by Audit Service Sierra Leone,” the statement stressed.
KC/as/APA