By Binta Jaiteh
PKF External Auditors, Accountants & Business Advisers have been blacklisted from being awarded government contracts over their blatant refusal to attend the meeting of Parliament Committee on Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC).
It could be recalled that in October 2023, the Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) presented its Annual Activity Reports and Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2020 and the consideration stage was scheduled on 30th January 2024 but PKF being the external auditors of GIEPA failed to attend the session without any reason communicated.
Kebba Lang Fofana, acting chairperson of the committee asked the CEO of GIEPA OusainouSeghore whether the auditors were present and also if they had given any adverse reason for their absence.
The CEO replied with “NO” and added that they had contacted the auditing firm’s office and even sent one of their staff to their office but no response.
He said after consultations with the Board and Management of Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) on the reason for the absence of their External Auditors (PKF, Accountants & business advisers) fromattending the meeting of the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC).
“The Committee stood down for an hour and a half to allow further consultation, and the Committee engaged the Office of the Auditor General on the blatant refusal of the PKF to attend to the calls of the Committee and GIEPA to attend the session,” he explained
Fofana stressed that therefore, the parliamentary committee unanimously resolved on that, saying moving forward all contracts awarded to the PKF by the National Audit Office be cancelledforthwith.
He continued by asserting that, PKF must attend and present all the reports of the institutions currently audited by them to the National Assembly.
The resolution further reads that, failure to appear before the Committee will tantamount to contempt of the National Assembly as per section 110 of the 1997 Constitutions of the Gambia.