Mariental rejects non-compliance claims

THE Mariental Town Council has rejected claims that it is one of the local authorities which failed to submit financial statements to the auditor general’s office.

published a story by the Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) in its Wednesday’s edition, which said auditor general (AG) Junias Kandjeke had reported 24 local authorities, among them the Mariental Town Council, to the National Assembly for their continued failure to submit financial statements to his office as required by law.

The information is contained in a special report on the non-submission of financial statements by some local authorities, regional councils and statutory bodies for the financial years ended 30 June 2016, 2017 and 2018.

“This is bad and unfair,” said Mariental Town Council’s chief executive officer Paul Nghiwilepo in reaction to the media report, which also stated that the local authority had failed to submit statements to the auditor general’s office on time.

To prove that the council always submits its financial records on time, Nghiwilepo provided with a copy of the council’s financial statement bearing the auditor general’s stamp, which indicated that the AG had received the document on 28 September 2018.

“As you can see, we always submit our statements on time. Last year, we got a clean audit,” he stated.

“But according to the auditor general, we are perennial non-submitters of statements. It is very disappointing,” he added.

Kandjeke yesterday said some of the reported outstanding statements have changed, and explained that during the process reporting, writing, printing and tabling some statement must have come in.

“The process of appointing auditors for Mariental for 2017/18 financial statement has started,” he added

The law stipulates that local authorities must submit their financial statements three months after the end of a financial year, or within a period approved by the attorney general.

The financial statements referred to include a balance-sheet showing assets and liabilities; a statement of income and expenditure; and any other statement that may from time to time be required by the auditor general.