Freetown, 9th January 2026- The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs is facing renewed scrutiny after the 2024 Auditor General’s Report flagged over NLe11.83 million in unretired special imprests and undocumented bank withdrawals, raising serious concerns about financial accountability and public fund management.
According to the report, the Ministry received a special imprest of NLe6,790,750 to implement the Women in Tourism Regional Congress (WITRC). Although the event was completed by 31 December 2024, auditors found no retirement documentation for NLe4,900,530.36 of the total amount. Similarly, an additional NLe1,054,550 allocated for the Tourism for All Campaign (TFA) was also left unretired, bringing the total unaccounted imprests to NLe5,955,080.36.
Auditors recommended that the Ministry’s Accountant submit full retirement details or refund the unretired amounts to the Consolidated Fund. In its official response, the Ministry stated that both imprests were used by the Tourism and Culture Directorates respectively, and that retirement documents, including concept notes, approvals, invoices, and receipts, were now available for inspection.
However, the audit team reported that no retirement details were submitted for verification, leaving the issue unresolved. In a separate finding, the report revealed that bank withdrawals totalling NLe4,672,323.67 from the Ministry’s imprest account were made without payment vouchers or supporting documents. Additionally, payment vouchers amounting to NLe412,838 lacked essential documentation such as receipts, invoices, and delivery notes.
The Ministry attributed the lapse to an oversight by the Account Clerk, who allegedly omitted key documents during submission. Officials claimed that the missing vouchers and supporting materials were ready for inspection, and that documents for the NLe412,838 payments, including budgets, concept notes, signed beneficiary lists, and activity reports, were available.
Yet again, auditors found that none of the documents were submitted for verification, and declared both issues unresolved.
“The Accountant should submit the payment vouchers and relevant supporting documents to justify the utilisation of the funds. Otherwise, the amounts should be refunded,” the report stated.
