Ministry of Finance
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the ministry had a deficit on Capital Account of M445 257 000.
The report said there had been a cash shortage or loss as a result of fraud.
The ministry’s principal secretary told the committee that the fraud was a result of officers who lent themselves public funds “and fail to deposit all the funds they have collected”.
The report said there were no records for domestic debt stock.
It said the Auditor-General’s report had revealed that the Ministry of Finance exceeded its budget by 1 511 percent.
Ministry of Agriculture
The report says a district agricultural officer in Mokhotlong maintained a government vehicle in a private garage and the costs amounted to M47 779 without authority from Imperial Fleet services.
In Quthing books and records of Mphaki Farmers Training Centre sheep stud reflected uncollected revenue of M67 727 and M81 692 from May 1999 to September 2005.
In the same district a veterinary clinic used improper revenue receipt forms to acknowledge revenue received from veterinary services.
In Mohale’s Hoek, the Farmers Training Centre failed to “either collect or report arrears of revenue totalling M126 730 for services provided to government ministries and departments”.
Ministry of Health
In November 2005 the Mohale’s Hoek Environmental section had a shortage of M1 525 which the report said had been collected but could not be made available for accounting.
The people responsible confessed that they had collected the money for personal use, the report said.
A medical officer in Quthing and Mohale’s Hoek flouted the government’s procurement procedures when he bought some goods.
Ministry of Education
The report said the National University of Lesotho’s system of accounting and related controls was not adequate to insure the accuracy and completeness of the financial statements.
“As NUL receives a sizeable subvention from the government of Lesotho it is necessary that its accounts are properly managed and that they are rendered auditable”.
Ministry of Trade
The Basotho Enterprises Development Corporation (Bedco) lacks documental guidelines and operation manuals, the report said.
It said the institution did not adhere to micro-finance guidelines and does not have work plans.
Bedco has not been allocated enough resources.
“Its core activities are starved of financial resources,” it said.
Ministry of Home Affairs
The ministry misappropriated M345 450 and the matter was referred to the Directorate of Corruption and Economic Offences. The chief accounting officer of the ministry confirmed this to the PAC.
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