By: Mariama Njie
The Board of National Legal Aid (NALA) has told lawmakers that the Institution’s 2019 activity report is scheduled for June and July 2021 which is why they could not summit it to them.
Neneh MC Cham, Board Chairperson of NALA informed the committee that their 2017 and 2018 activity reports are ready but the audit report for 2019 and 2020 was based on their operational plan which is scheduled for June and July.
She urged the committee to consider and give them time in regards to their schedule date.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the committee, Honorable Halifa Sallah in his response to the board said: “what we are trying to achieve is that before 31st December, 2021, we could have consider 2019 because the submission would have been within three months of the end of the financial year.”
“When we commence work 2017, this committee under the new legislature experience backlog on activity report and financial statement, we took note of section (160) sub section (1c) of the constitution which requires the Auditor General to include the accounts of the public enterprises in the submission of annual audit report of the Auditor General. We therefore made it a primary objective to put an end to back log, so that all statement will reflect the year that is due not history, it was on that basis that we started engaging public enterprises to put an end to this backlog,” he told the board.
He went on asking the board whether the report will be submitted to them on time.
The board responded positively.
The Chair of the committee later added that there will be further consultation to see how they can assist NALA to comply since they have made effort to summit 2020 report.
In regards to that, he added: “It is proposed that we adjourned to a later date to allow further consideration with the Audit office and the submission of their activity report and financial statement for the year ended 31st December 2019.