The National Finance Minister has today answered 30 questions directed to him by the Public Accounts Committee following the release of Audit reports for 2007 and 2008.
The questions tacked specific issues concerning irregularities like overspending, money lost and lack of a filing system that surfaced in the audit reports.Responding to question number 21 which asked whether the finance ministry could account for more than 114 million Sudanese Pounds that were lost, Minister Kosti Manibe said there was great pressure on the ministry to give petty cash to spending agencies.
He said the petty cash system was introduced in the 2007 fiscal year for government spending agencies to have some money for small expenses like stationery.
Mr Kosti said the ministry could not account for the money because the agencies did not provide information about how they spent petty cash.
The economy minister said government institutions received petty cash but accounting for it would be a nightmare.
He added that the ministry has already removed the petty cash system.
Mr Kosti said spending agencies did not account for the money thus the finance ministry was not able to know how the money was spent.