Financial abuse will attract dismissal, Msiska warns
ANY civil servants found to have contributed to financial irregularities being exposed in the Auditor General’s report will be dismissed, Secretary to the Cabinet Rowland Msiska warned yesterday.
Dr Msiska said that it was disheartening that every year the Auditor General through his annual reports revealed glaring audit queries in various government institutions.
Dr Msiska said this in a speech read on his behalf by permanent secretary for management development division at Cabinet Office, Ndashe Yumba at an orientation workshop in Lusaka for directors of finance in ministries and provinces.
He told the finance directors that it was their responsibility to ensure that audit queries were attended to during preliminary stages and that corrective measures were implemented way before they escalated to annual audit paragraphs.
He reiterated that he expected the directors to be magnanimous enough to introduce internal control systems within their area of responsibility aimed at curbing financial irregularities and consequently sealing off leakages of public financial resources.
He warned that delays in processing payments, production of financial reports and failure to analyse financial data for better decision making would not be condoned.
Dr Msiska said Government needed civil service employees that had passion, commitment and ready to work hard for the benefit of all citizens.
“The vision 2030 and beyond is very clear. You either fit into the teams set up to achieve this vision or you exclude yourself from the system. My office will not hesitate to dismiss you or any office holder who will be found to have contributed to audit queries,” he warned.
Dr Msiska also prodded the directors to give sound financial advice and support to the controlling officers on all financial matters.
And Accountant General Dick Sichimba said that the Public Finance Management Act had been strengthened to include specific punitive provisions aimed at punishing those involved in financial irregularities.
Mr Sichimba said that some of the issues which previously required administrative action to resolve were now offences under the Act.
He said failure to respond to audit queries on time without justifiable reasons was an offence.
“Failure to provide information required by the secretary to the treasury, auditor general, accountant general or controller of internal audit is also an offence, among others,” he said.
Mr Sichimba said the intention of including such provisions in the Act was to prevent mediocrity and negligence among officers in the performance of their duties.
Government had also embarked on the programme to automate revenue collection mechanisms in order to strengthen internal controls with respect to management of tax and non-tax revenue by preventing officers from handling cash, he said.
He also warned of stern action against accountants who would be found wanting.
In giving a vote of thanks, one of the directors Frederick Katulwende thanked Cabinet Office for creating a finance directorate in the public service.
Mr Katulwende said that the newly appointed directors would execute their duties diligently and ensure that public finances were well safeguarded.