SADC ministers order Dr Tax to comply

The SADC Council of Ministers has once again reiterated calls for the Dr Stergomena Lawrance Tax-led Secretariat to comply with outstanding issues and decisions raised by the 2013 forensic audit.Botswana Guardian is in possession of authentic documents that reveal that at its Gaborone seating in August ahead of the head of states summit, the Council revisited the issues and noted that the Secretariat is expected to comply with the council decision taken at its August 2013 meeting in Malawi.

The meeting ordered the secretariat to undertake wider scrutiny on education allowances paid to staff and provide a progress report in August 2016. The outstanding issues were raised by forensic audit undertaken by Ernst & Young Botswana who were ordered by the council to investigate allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the SADC Secretariat after a tip off from a whistle blower at the secretariat. Ernst & Young found many irregularities and made some recommendations that included, but were not limited to extending investigation of education allowances to all SADC staff.

Botswana Guardian published the story showing that the auditors found irregularities with regards to the education allowance claims submitted by one senior officer (name withheld). Botswana Guardian can reveal that at its Gaborone seating in August, the Council revisited the issues and noted that disciplinary hearing of the case for the officer in question was done and that management had concluded the matter. However, Council at its meeting in March 2015 directed the Secretariat to adhere to the council decision of August 2013 and based on the above decision of Council, as well as the fact that there has been disciplinary hearing on the matter, the Secretariat is obtaining a legal advisory meeting.

The forensic investigation
Botswana Guardian further reveals that the council noted the way forward as proposed by management that a legal opinion be sought to guide management to take appropriate disciplinary action as per the council decision.
The council further noted Secretariat’s assessment that it may be challenging to implement an outcome of a wider scrutiny considering that significant staff, present in 2008 to 2012 have left the organisation. Further that credible wider scrutiny can only be done by an outsider since internal auditors are beneficiaries of educational allowances, and that the cost of undertaking the investigation for the years (2008 to 2015) covered by forensic audit is at US$227,000 (about P2, 270,000.00

Audit has reservation on management
Records show that Council noted the management opinion that the control measures taken are sufficient to address the loopholes in education allowances as proposed in the draft Human Resources and Administration Handbook going forward. However the Audit Committee has reservation on the submission by Management in implementing the Council decision of 2013 in Malawi.

Further Council was informed that the forensic audit in 2012 recommended a full investigation into all the education allowances claimed by one officer of the  Secretariat, including his eligibility to claim the allowances given the anomalies identified to date.
Based on the findings SADC’s Management should consider, in consultation with its legal advisors, whether disciplinary and/or criminal proceedings need to be instituted against the officer. Consideration should also be given to recovering any possible losses suffered by
SADC. Council directed, among others that all cases specifically identified in the Report be followed up and appropriate disciplinary actions be taken, including the recovery of amounts paid contrary to approved polices, rules and regulations.