Last Updated: Sep 16, 2007 - 2:52:47 PM


Lesavua: Audit council accounts
By fijitimes.com
Sep 16, 2007 - 2:52:19 PM

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The team recommended that the process be contracted to private firms so that the financial status of councils are finalised.

Ponipate Lesavua, one of the four commissioners involved in the inquiry, said the audits were supposed to be conducted by the Auditor-General's Office.

However, he said due to a lack of resources and huge workload in the A-G's Office, the accounts and financial reports were never audited since 2000.

Mr Lesavua said this was a major concern since a substantial amount of government funds and money from indigenous communities were involved with the operations of provincial councils.

He said every year, the Government provided each of the 14 provincial councils with $100,000.

Mr Lesavua said apart from the government funding, money was collected from local indigenous communities through soli and carnivals.

"The Auditor-General was occupied with work on the various ministries so the audits were never conducted," he said.

"But this is a major failure on the part of the former government. They should have made sure the accounts were audited either by the A-G's Office or private firms because it involves a large sum of money."

When contacted yesterday, Auditor-General Eroni Vatuloka refused to comment and asked that questions be sent to his office.

Mr Lesavua also confirmed the team has been inundated with complaints against chiefs and former ministers.

Mr Lesavua said they had forwarded allegations against a Nadroga chief to police. He said they were also conducting investigations into complaints against more chiefs in the Western and Northern divisions.

"A clan lodged the complaint with the team when we visited Nadroga a few weeks ago. After investigations we found some substance to the complaint so we have handed over the complaint to police. This is regarding the collection of lease money without proper documentation or authority."





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