The Audit Chamber presented today to the National Legislative Assembly its very first reports for 2005 and 2006 and the document displays huge fiscal indiscipline among top government institutions and funds unaccounted for.
Steven Wundu, who chairs the South Sudan Audit Chamber, revealed that there were huge discrepancies in oil revenue transferred by the government of national unity and the oil revenue received by the government of Southern Sudan.The government of national unity recorded a transfer of 580 million US dollars in 2005 while GoSS acknowledged having received 684 million.
He added that there was almost no record of money collected from taxes in 2005 and 2006.
The Chamber also audited the pay roll expenditure, operation expenditure, capital bank operation and cash balances expenditure.
The results indicate that the 2005 budget was overly consumed by operations. Salaries and allowances spent 14 million US dollars, travel and accommodation of government officials 13 million, burial of the late SPLM leader John Garang 6 million, presidential inauguration 801 thousand, and military uniforms and meals18 million.
It added that in 2005 there was no record of salaries paid to government officials.
Mr. Wundu said there is a register that GoSS bought a property in the value of 3.5 million dollars in Khartoum but there is no title deed or any other evidence of ownership or where the property is.
Mr. Wundu said bank statements and cash book statements were not in agreement at any time of the year.
The financial statements do not report any cash balance in the government holds in December 31 2005, which he says implies that the cash drawn from bank accounts in the last days of the financial year were misplaced, misused and misappropriated.
Mr. Wundu admitted that at the time the government lacked institutional capacity to drive the public service, and legal framework to underpin the administration of public service procedure and human capacity in financial management.
The report brought in emotions from the members of the national assembly. Zachariah Mutur Maker, an MP from Lakes state, in tears, blamed leaders for the poverty and misery in the country.
Agnes Nyoka Peter, from Central Equatoria, is concerned that South Sudanese women will remain poor as long as the fraud continues.
Mr. Wundu said only a few government institutions were audited due to constant obstruction by senior government officials, prompting often the intervention of President Kiir.
The Assembly ordered the Committee of Public Accounts to summarize the report and advise on further actions to bring concerned culprits to book.