IFMIS will curb pilferage of public funds, says Ndalamei

IFMIS will curb pilferage of public funds, says Ndalamei
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Wed 20 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT

Secretary to the Treasury Likolo Ndalamei says the reforms being implemented by the government such as the creation of the single Treasury Account and the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) would help to curb rampant pilferage of public funds by civil servants and other persons in government spending agencies.

Ndalamei (below) told internal auditors for government ministries and other spending agency that weak internal auditing mechanisms allowed civil servants to siphon about K30 billion from the ministry of health, a scum that was exposed last year.

Ndalamei said it was important for government internal auditors to improve their qualifications and also align themselves with professional accounting bodies so as to ensure that their practice could also be regulated professionally through bodies like Zambia Institute of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Ndalamei said 2009 would go down as the year with a large-scale scam that brought the integrity of the civil service in disrepute.

Ndalamei, however, refused to comment further on some of the weak links the government had discovered, saying the move would prejudice the cases where some suspects were currently before the courts of law.

“2009 will go down as the year when there was large-scale scam which brought the integrity of the civil service in disrepute,” Ndalamei said. “…But now, because this is just the official opening and there are journalists, I won't say much but I will come on Thursday and that is when I will go into the details as to what happened at the Ministry of Health.”

And controller of government internal audit department, Joyce Sundano regretted that some internal audit units had not been submitting audit reports, a sign that work was not taking place.

“Since I took over office at the end of November last year, I have learnt with sadness that some internal audit units have not been submitting audits reports, a sign that work is not taking place,” Sundano said. “I want to assure you that this will not be condoned and as such, a mechanism has been designed of tracking and monitoring the work that everyone is doing.”
Sundano said the report would be ending with the office of the Secretary to the Treasury.