Office of the Auditor General uncovers concerning fraud risks in relation to ESP.

By Andrea Ma’ahanua

The Office of the Auditor General uncovers concerning fraud risks in relation to the much debated Economic Stimulus Package (ESP).

This is revealed in a new audit report compiled by the auditor’s office to assess the disbursement of the package during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Auditor General, David Dennis told the local media that a number of cheques were signed by government officials on behalf of beneficiaries.

“Most of the payments made in this way were signed by 3 officers, with one of these officers signing for 251 cheques with the total value of 6.8 million dollars.”

Mr. Dennis adds, there are no available document records to verify whether beneficiaries had received these funds thus hindering transparency and accountability.

A recommendation was made to the Ministry of Finance to ensure it has rules guiding third-party transactions involving government officials. In addition, a rule must also be in place to ensure confirmation that the third-party has received the funds.

The ESP Oversight Committee welcomed the recommendation after it was presented to them by the Auditor’s Office recently.

It was also clarified that an internal mechanism was in place while in some instances, officers had consented to facilitate the release of funds in good faith without favour.

However, the committee noted that conflict of interest cannot be fully ruled out for some officers, stating that further investigation would be required.

A total of SBD308.5  was appropriated between 2020 and 2021 to support the package.

SIBC News understands, the audit report of the Solomon Islands Government Economic Stimulus Package is the final part of a COVID-19 performance and compliance audit series.

The report will be made accessible soon for the public at https://www.oag.gov.sb/.

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