By Sulaiman Jalloh

Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament who is also the chairman of the parliamentary Public Account Committee (PAC) has ordered that Forty-Two thousand new Leones (NLe42,000) be debited from the bank account of Dr. Roland Suluku, the director of the malaria and diseases program at the Ministry of Health. The order came while the PAC was probing into the 2023 Auditor General’s Report. The Deputy Speaker has instructed the PAC clerk to write a letter to the Accountant General to effect the order.

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation was answering audit queries raised in 2023 audit report on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at the administrative building in Parliament. The Public Account Committee observed that, under director Suluku, some enumerators were recruited into the ministry without providing supporting documents to auditors at the time of audit.

In his ruling, Hon. Tawa said pursuant to Section 93(6) of the Public Financial Management Act, he ordered the deduction of the said amount from Dr. Suluku’s account.

Hon Ibrahim Tawa Conteh asked the committee clerk to multiply NLe8,400, which is the outstanding balance by the Ministry of Health for the malaria project, by the additional five enumerators, summing up to NLe42,000.

Hon Tawa, therefore, concluded that the sum of Le42,000 should be deducted from Director Sukulu’s account for failing to provide adequate documentation for the addition five enumerators and that Director Sukulu’s document did not have any explanation for the additional five enumerators for which government monies were expended.

.