BY LORETTA B. MANELE

The National Statistics Office and the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) budget allocations need an increase.

This was raised by CBSI Governor, Dr Luke Forau during the launching programme of CAPSA (Building Capacity in Statistics and Audit) Project at the Mendana Hotel last week.

The project includes the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2024-2025 and the National Economic Establishment Census (NEEC) 2024.

Forau said the World Bank funded project is a very important project for the government and for the country as a whole.

He added that it is an interesting combination of the two agencies and this is the approach going forward for other projects.

Forau however pointed out that both agencies have been under resourced.

He stressed that NSO has never been able to fully address its mandate while OAG on the other hand is a very critical institution that needs to be fully resourced.

“In general, they need to have their budget allocations increased”

He stressed that the project is very important for the country.

“We’ve been coming up with policies but we are not sure if it is based on data, some yes but some maybe qualitative”

Forau said statistics is like the brain of the government when it comes to formulating any policy and intervention in regards to the delivery of services to our people.

He said we really need data to make quality interventions in our country.

Forau voiced that having good data is needed in order for the country to make some interventions especially regarding graduating from our LDC (Least Developed Country) status.

He said if we don’t make interventions now, we can end up graduating only to find out later that we should have not graduated because of finding out later information like people in the rural areas have not improved in their living standards as compared to those in urban areas.

“Data is very important for us to have so we can make proper and accurate interventions”

Trade Union council doubles down on demand to hold to account people responsible for ESP disaster uncovered by OAG audit

BY NED GAGAHE

Politicians and public officials linked to the failed economic stimulus package (ESP) should be held accountable and face the full force of the law.

The Solomon Islands Council of Trade Unions (SICTU) demands this, adding that there should be a thorough investigation into the findings disclosed by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG).

In a statement SICTU described the OAG findings as “alarming findings of corruption and mismanagement within the government’s ESP programme”.

SICTU said the audit report has implicated several high-ranking politicians and public officers in the misuse of funds allocated for the ESP, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the program and the accountability of those responsible.

“As such, SICTU is now calling on the Chairman of the Leadership Code Commission (LCC), the Chairman of Solomon Islands Independence Commission Against Corruption (SIICAC), and the Commissioner of Police to launch a thorough investigation into the actions of these implicated individuals. It is imperative that those responsible for the mismanagement of public funds are held accountable for their actions and face the full force of the law.”

SICTU said OAG has completed its mandated tasked resulted in the audit report presented to government and public last week.

SICTU also reminds the Commissioner of Police of the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) he signed on behalf of (RSIPF) with the Auditor General committing the two institutions to high level of cooperation.

“The ESP program was designed to provide much-needed economic relief to the citizens in our community, especially during the height of corvid pandemic period.

“However, the findings of the audit report paint a troubling picture of misuse, embezzlement, and fraud within the programme.

“Such actions not only betray the trust of the public but also undermine the government’s efforts to support those in need.

“Therefore, we urge the relevant authorities to take swift and decisive action to ensure that justice is served and that those responsible are brought to book.

“The Chairman of LCC, SIICAC, and the Commissioner of Police must work together to conduct a transparent and impartial investigation into the allegations raised in the ESP audit report.

“No one should be above the law, especially those entrusted with the responsibility of serving the public.”

SICTU said it is crucial that the integrity of our governance institutions is upheld and that public can have faith in the accountability mechanisms in place.

“We call on the authorities to demonstrate their commitment to fighting corruption and malfeasance by investigating these serious allegations thoroughly and ensuring that those found guilty are held accountable.

SICTU said its affiliated trade unions stand united in our demand for justice and accountability.

The council of trade union said the people now witness what they deserve to know when audit report of the ESP fund of more than $300 million released with culprits identified and the truth about the misuse of public funds and is demanding to see those responsible face the consequences of their actions.

“We trust that the Chairman of LCC, SIICAC, and the Commissioner of Police will take swift action to investigate the implicated politicians and public officers for prosecutions. Such action will restore faith in the integrity of our government institutions,” SICTU said.

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Imprest payments amounting to over $473,696 made in 2021 under the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) have not been acquitted.

Auditor General David Teika Dennis stated that this is a violation of the applicable financial regulations governing the management of standing imprest accounts.

Dennis disclosed this information during the most recent Accountability Workshop held by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) on Wednesday, October 2, coinciding with the release of the 2020-2021 Economic Stimulus Package Audit Report.

He said that the ministry’s utilization of the Corporate Service Standing Imprest account as a special imprest holder for grant disbursements, with retirement processed through a general adjustment journal, does not align with the financial instructions set forth by the Solomon Islands Government (SIG).

“The examination of these imprest transactions could not be finalized as 11 payments from the selected sample, totalling $473,696.97, remain unacquitted, despite the last payment being made in September 2021,” he stated.

He highlighted that the persistent failure to properly manage imprest accounts is a widespread issue within the Solomon Islands government bureaucracy, which significantly undermines accountability.

“Additionally, among the imprest payments were disbursements totalling $1.2 million to seven different constituency development offices for distribution. As previously noted, the majority of grant applications could not be located, making it impossible to verify that grants were awarded to eligible beneficiaries,” Dennis said.

He further revealed that most Constituency Development Offices received a total of $800,000, paid in two instalments: $600,000 in mid-2020 and an additional $200,000 in mid-2021.

“The OAG requested the committee secretariat to provide copies of the submissions for these funds; however, the secretariat was only able to supply nine of these applications,” he added.

One specific case he pointed out involved the South Choiseul constituency, which lacked a sitting member of parliament at that time.

He explained that these funds were allocated following a successful election petition against the incumbent, resulting in no ESP funding being received.

“Two payments totalling $120,000 were paid out to members of parliament from the Choiseul province, followed by a third payment of $360,000 made to the successful candidate following the South Choiseul by-election in 2021,’’ said Dennis.

He said that these payments were directed to the constituency development office without any conditions regarding the utilization of the funds.

“None of the reports offered insights into the criteria for selecting beneficiaries or whether this selection process ensured equal access to these funds for all constituents,’’ he said.

He said that one constituency development office submitted a list of payments averaging between $20,000 and $30,000 to 30 constituents, yet there was no clarification on how these constituents were chosen or their intended use of the funds.

“Another provided a receipt for $290,000 for wire mesh, but there was no explanation regarding the purpose of the mesh,” Dennis stated.