Recently, the National Audit Office released three years of audit reports (2021, 2022, and 2023). The reports made for very depressing reading. They demonstrated that billions of dalasi were embezzled, misappropriated, or left unaccounted for. All these corrupt activities happened while the average Gambian has been struggling to make a living.
In any country with a serious government, the leadership would have considered the audit office’s findings as a major wake-up call. It would have been treated as a major scandal, and officials who were implicated would have faced serious consequences. By now, we should have been hearing about arrests and dismissals of implicated officials.
But that is not what has happened under the Adama Barrow government. The government’s first action was to remove the head of the National Audit Office in an illegal manner. This is because the Adama Barrow government does not want people to know the extent of corruption that has been taking place within his administration. In fact, according to one National Assembly Member, these audit reports were only released due to pressure from international donors.
Recently, the government has adopted another strategy to try to discredit the audit findings: issuing press releases. The first of these came from the Ministry of Transport, Works & Infrastructure (MOTWI). In that press release, MOTWI attempted to dispute the audit report’s findings.
First of all, the explanations provided by MOTWI press release are baseless. They provided no evidence to substantiate their claims. On the other hand, the audit reports were very thorough and substantiated all their findings.
It is important to point out that audit reports released by the National Audit Office (and similar institutions around the world) follow a standard process. It is not perfect but it is quite deliberate. I will outline the basic process below. While not every audit strictly goes through the process below, there are broadly similar. Furthermore, the processes are generally thorough.
Each of the institutions and ministries adversely mentioned had ample opportunities to respond while the auditors were reviewing the relevant records. This was not just one opportunity but multiple ones. If there was missing information or a misunderstanding, there were numerous opportunities for these institutions to clarify matters.
There is also a period when auditors hold “exit meetings” with officials of the institutions under scrutiny. This is another opportunity for officials to provide clarification, submit missing documents, or clear up any possible misunderstandings.
Finally, the leadership of any institution under scrutiny has the opportunity to provide a formal response through what is called a “management response” after a draft of the audit report is shared. This is yet another opportunity for officials to clarify where they disagree with the auditors.
If MOTWI had real and well-grounded reasons for clarification, they had ample opportunities to provide them to the auditors. The auditors would have taken their time to review those clarifications. But the fact that they are only releasing a statement now means they have no basis for their claims.
Right now, the audit reports demonstrate that the Adama Barrow government is thoroughly corrupt. The corruption goes all the way to the State House. Government officials are now trying to cover up and create misdirection with baseless press releases. Gambians should not allow themselves to be fooled.
Dr. Ousman Gajigo
