The National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) intends to carry out an external audit of the Disaster Management Fund (FGC), after it was the target of denunciations and criticism of deviations, the institution announced.
In a hiring announcement published this Thursday, 20 April, in the newspaper Noticias, INGD said it wanted a “professional opinion on the financial position of the FGC, with respect to funds received and expenses made” in 2021 and 2022.
The external audit also aims for “a professional opinion on the effectiveness, efficiency and ‘economy’ in the contracting of public works contracts, supply of goods and provision of services to the State.
The work includes the identification of weaknesses in the areas that will be covered by the analysis of the accounts.
“The external financial audit of the Disaster Management Fund should cover all activities and expenditure financed by the Government of Mozambique and development partners in the period from 1 January to 31 December 2021 and from 1 January to 31 December 2022,” the announcement said.
The evaluation of the fund must follow the public accounting standards of the Mozambican government and international auditing standards, the document said.
The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) announced in March it had opened criminal proceedings against a coordinator of the GCF and four other public officials, due to “strong indications of the practice of crimes of economic participation in business and abuse of office or function,” and that they were suspected of having “fraudulently signed” contracts for the supply of goods and services.
In 2022, the World Bank froze the disbursement of US$5 million (316 million meticais) to the FGD and demanded the repayment of US$504,100 (32.5 million meticais), “until INGD presented an acceptable action plan to ensure the strengthening of its procurement system,” the non-governmental organisation Centre for Public Integrity said in a statement, based on information in its possession.
Following these allegations, the prime minister, Adriano Maleiane, said that “there was no dispute with the World Bank,” adding that “this matter has been resolved.
