Corruption Continua! How Buhari's Minister Of Finance Hide N535 Million Expenditure Vouchers From Audit Team!

Thirty-nine payment vouchers of a total amount of N535 million (N535,662,523.40) for both recurrent and capital expenditure were hidden by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and not handed over for audit during a recent audit exercise, a report from the Auditor-General’s office has revealed.

The report noted that the payment vouchers, which include N21 million (N21, 583,677) for recurrent expenditure and N514 million (N514,078,646.11) for capital expenditure, “were hidden and not produced for audit examination during the time of audit exercise despite the demand for them.”

The report, signed by the Auditor General, noted further that this may indicate that the expenditures the vouchers represent were illegitimate. “In view of this, I find it difficult to accept these expenditures as proper and legitimate charges against public funds.

“The payment vouchers should be produced for audit otherwise the total expenditure of N535,662,523.40 (Five hundred and thirty-five million, six hundred and sixty-two thousand, five hundred and twenty-three naira, forty kobo) made should be recovered from the payees,” the report said.

Similarly, between July and December 2015, the report revealed that the sum of N1 million (N1,093,000.00) was paid to 13 individual accounts and organisations without raising payment vouchers and posting into the Cash book of the same ministry.

This, it explained, is contrary to Financial Regulation 601 which states that “Under no circumstance shall a cheque be raised or cash paid for service for which a voucher has not been raised.” The Auditor General, therefore, instructed that the N1,093,000.00 be recovered from the signatories to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, GIFMIS, platform and recovery details furnished for verification.

The report also revealed that 52 advances granted to 46 officers for a total sum of N18 million (N18, 034,200.00) between January and August 2015, were not retired as at the time of audit in August 2016.

Four of the officers got more than one advance without retiring the previous one, the report revealed, contrary to the provision of the Financial Regulation 1420 which states that “it is the responsibility of all Accounting Officers to ensure that all advances granted to officers are fully recovered.” Read Full Info Here