By Dawan Africa - Reporter
Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-Somalia’s Auditor General, Ahmed Issa Gutale, has on Monday revealed misappropriation of $4.9 million involving Somali embassies in Kenya, Turkey, and Germany.
During a press conference, the Auditor General revealed that this amount involved $1.9 million from the embassies’ budget, which was misused, and $3 million, originally collected as revenue, that has been embezzled instead of being deposited into the national treasury’s account. He highlighted that these funds were not accounted for in the 2022 government financial report.
“After conducting thorough investigations, I have discovered that the $1.9 million was misappropriated by the Somali embassies in Kenya, Turkey, and Germany. These funds were not included in year’s financial report,” stated Mr. Gutale.
He continued, “Due to the oversights of the investigating agencies, the financial investigation or audit report for the year 2022, submitted to the National Auditor General’s office, presents a flawed perspective.”
The National Auditor General further noted the mismanagements made by the three embassies, highlighting that the investigation revealed their lack of adherence to financial regulations for revenue collection.
“Our investigation revealed that the embassies lacked policies and regulations to manage revenue collection. This led to a sum of $3 million, intended as revenue, not being transferred to the national treasury’s account. Furthermore, our scrutiny exposed huge cash reserves, indicating a lack of transparency and accountability within our embassies,” Mr. Gutale emphasized.
The move comes a time when President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s intensified campaign against corruption involving high-ranking government officials.
Last month, following forensic investigations, Somalia’s Attorney General, Suleiman Mohamed Mohamud, disclosed a list of 18 senior government officials linked to a $21 million work-leave scandal. Moreover, some of the accused officials faced court proceedings and await judicial determination.
