There is currently an unexplained gap of XAF2.7 billion in the National Assembly’s accounts. The discrepancy is revealed in a letter sent on September 28 by Theophile Baoro, National Assembly vice-president and chairman of the ad-hoc committee set up to assess the financial situation of the National Assembly. In the letter seen by Stop Bla Bla Cam, the vice president requested clarification on the variance from the cashier of the accounting agency in charge of the assembly’s accounting matters.
According to the letter, the variance was estimated based on documents the cashier provided to the quaestors. The documents reveal variances in the orders of XAF948 million for the 2022 fiscal year and XAF1.7 billion for the period between January and May 31, 2023, we learn.
"Based on figures from the ledger, which records all cash payments, partially paid securities, securities paid and not registered, and vouchers, they (the quaestors) obtained a theoretical balance of XAF948 million FCFA for the 2022 fiscal year (...). Using the same approach, they once again obtained a theoretical balance of XAF1.7 billion [for the period ending] on May 31, 2023," Théophile Baoro wrote.
The letter is a partial indication of the financial crisis the National Assembly is going through. It also shows that the ad-hoc committee announced by the President of the National Assembly last August is already at work.
According to certain confidence, in July 2023, CPDM deputy and quaestor Kamssouloum Abba Kabir sent a letter to the President of the National Assembly on the worrying financial situation of the institution. The National Assembly was said to have accumulated some twenty billion in debts over several financial years.
In response, Cavaye Yéguié Djibril set up an ad-hoc committee to assess the administrative and financial situation of the National Assembly. Placed under the supervision of the President of the National Assembly, the committee includes all the quaestors of the institution. Its report was expected by September 30.
L.A.
