The Internal Audit Agency (IAA) has announced the commissioning of a special audit of the 2024 inaugural activities managed by the Joint Presidential Transitional Team (JPTT).
The Weah-led administration approved US$650,000 for activities leading to the transition of power and the inauguration of the new president. The transitional team was co-headed by former President George M. Weah and President Joseph N. Boakai, while the inauguration committee was headed by Miatta Fahnbulleh. However, the both leaders designated deputies, who are said to have largely stirred the affairs of the committee.
According to information, US$5,000 was allocated for each of the 73 electoral districts of the country for preparation for the inauguration, but the amount was said to be reduced to US$4,000. Also, there are accusations of misappropriation of funds from the inaugural committee, leading to what stakeholders described as a dangerous, disastrous and completely messy program which caused several individuals, including President Boakai, to collapse from exhaustion.
Making the disclosure about the audit at a press conference on Wednesday in Monrovia, the Director General of the IAA, David Kemah, indicated that the special audit of the inaugural activities is consistent with the mandate of the IAA to conduct special reviews of government- and donor-funded activities.
According to Kemah, the special audit is a routine assurance activity carried out across ministries, agencies and commissions (MACs) of the Government of Liberia (GOL), with the goal of strengthening transparency and accountability of public resources.
The IAA’s boss further intimated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already been written to make available relevant source documents to enable the review of the financial and operational activities of the transition.
Kemah recounted that President Joseph Nyumah Boakai strongly heralded transparency and accountability when he sought election to the nation’s highest seat; therefore, the special audit of the inauguration activities will clearly demonstrate the new government’s commitment to accountability in public governance.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the IAA highlighted the automation of internal audit processes in the public sector through the use of an audit software as a significant achievement in the last year.
He also named the launch of the Compliance Scorecard for public sector entities as a milestone achievement. The Scorecard is an evaluation of government institutions, focusing on ten (10) priority areas, such as payroll and personnel management, bank reconciliation, procurement controls, asset management, among other areas. The scores from the evaluation will inform the IAA’s audit concentration in various public sector entities in the current fiscal year.