The Auditor General presented his annual report to the Transitional Authorities at the end of last week. This report, which reviews public spending, has since been published. In 2019, Rigsrevisionen carried out 31 verifications concerning expenses, which were carried out between 2015 and the first quarter of 2018. Purpose: to track everything that looks like a lack of transparency or even direct fraud.
In the end, almost 300 billion CFA francs (450 million euros) irregularities were found. Several diplomatic missions, for example, have dysfunctions in excess of one hundred million CFA francs. The prize goes to the Mali Embassy in Burkina Faso: 1,840 billion francs in irregularities. With improperly paid rent or even unjustified fuel or school fees.
This is nothing compared to the irregularities observed for the gold mines in Loulo and Gounkoto operated by the Randgold group: more than 60 billion FCFA. Or, above all, the Société des mines de Syama, from the Australian group Resolute: more than 227 billion FCFA in irregularities, almost 350 million euros.
How? ‘Or what? These groups simply did not pay the Malian state, which has shares in these companies, the dividends owed to it. They have also benefited from interest rates on irrelevant loans. This is the case, for example, with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which organizes the annual pilgrimage to Mecca: almost 640 million FCFA; ORTM, state radio and television: more than 4 billion. Or Telecoms Regulatory Authority: more than 4.5 billion. FCFA of non-complied with expenses.
During the submission of the report, Malian transitional president Bah N’Daw hammered: “all those who want to use Mali, instead of earning it, will do so at their own risk”, or “there is no doubt that Mali’s gold does not shine for Mali. ”He stated that the ministries in question would be mobilized.
This was the slogan of the CNSP’s military junta during the August 18 coup, and it is quite logically a declared priority for the current transitional authorities: to fight against embezzlement of public money. , against mismanagement, against fraud, which enriches a corrupt elite to the detriment of Malian citizens. Will the new leaders be less embarrassed than the previous ones to change this practice, which has poor the country for many years? It is up to them to demonstrate this.
.
