Over E67m unrecovered at DPM’s
MBABANE – There has been unrecovered and unaccounted for cash relating to imprest and wages advances at the Deputy Prime Minister’s (DPM) Office.
According to the Auditor General (AG), Timothy Matsebula’s report, the audits have revealed that cash worth E67 671 53 was not recovered from the officers involved.
Further, it was reported that also cash worth E13 700 00 has remained unaccounted for by the Office.
“The cash was withdrawn for the purpose of imprest and wages advances,” reads the report.
The report reveals that the unrecovered and unaccounted-for cash, was as of March 31, 2022.
Unaccounted
At the Responsibility Centre Account, Item Unrecovered for and unaccounted for is the Department of Social Welfare 50204 where the wages advances stood at E67 671 963.88, the Children Department’s stands at E4 500, lastly the Lubombo Regional Administrator with E9 200.00, which totals the unrecovered and unaccounted for cash of E67 671 969.53 and E13 700.00.
“The Kingdom of Eswatini’s financial year ended on March 31st and it is when I drew the attention of the controlling officer to the requirement of Section 11, Subsection 3.9.1 (c) 3.11 of the Financial Management and Accounting Procedures Manual (1993), which states that cash for imprest and wages advances must be retired as soon as the expiry date, specified on the warrant is reached. Also, Section 11.10, Paragraph 3.1, requires that the treasury ‘Year-End Closing Procedures’ circular calls for all petty cash imprest and standing advances accounts to be retired on or prior to March 31,” reported the auditor general.
In the meantime, the AG disclosed in the report that the year-end balance on this item should, therefore, equal nil and further, the Financial and Accounting Instruction 1408 stipulates that “the imprest cash must be balanced at least once