By: Binta Jaiteh
The National Audit Office (NAO) said nearly D2m was disbursed to various associations despite some beneficiaries not being included in the budget.
Phase two of NAO’s consolidated government audited report on the Covid-19 response revealed that D1, 840,000 payment was made to various tourist associations but that some individuals benefitted from the scheme despite not being included in the budget.
NAO’s report highlighted that Covid-19 relief should not have been extended to those not budgeted.
It revealed that differences existed between cash withdrawals and total payments, stating that a difference of D502,000 was uncovered between the amount received to support individuals in the informal sector and the actual amount disbursed to beneficiaries. NAO said no explanation was provided to account for these differences and emphasized that payment officers should ensure that monies allocated for specified purposes are only used for the intended purpose.
The state audit office said that based on the documentation and information obtained during the audit exercise, it discovered that adequate and appropriate evidence was not presented by GTBoard to substantiate the payment to the tourism industry.
“We can therefore conclude that payment made to the tourism industry did not fully comply with the laws and regulations that govern them. This meant that some vulnerable businesses did not receive the support to which they were entitled,”NAO said.