Ministry operates 'illegal' bank account :: Mmegi Online

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard yesterday that the government loans recovery account opened with the First National Bank of Botswana (FNBB) two years ago is illegal. In addition, the account set up to recover millions owed to government by Batswana who benefited from tertiary education sponsorships has never been audited.

Answering a question from the Auditor-General, Robby Sebobeng, who inquired whether the account was official, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Grace Muzila said it was not yet formalised. However, she acknowledged that the manner in which it was opened was a mistake, though she could not say whether it was illegal or not.

Moreover, Muzila's attempt to rope in the Accountant-General (AG) on the issue hit a snag. The AG denied knowledge of a May meeting set to formalise the account in question. "The account is not yet official but the process to make it official has started," said Muzila who also referred to a recent meeting with the AG on the subject.

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