Over a month of the Auditors-General’s probe, new receipts surfaced last Monday 13th November, 2023 when a State House Accountant took the witness stand.
In his testimony, the accountant, Mr Jajua produced new receipts which could not be properly explained to the investigating judges. It all came up during cross-examination of the witness after testifying in the hearings.
It was pointed out that although this new or second receipt had the same date and receipt number as the one originally given to the auditors and tendered in evidence by the state, the date for the stay at the hotel was 2019, one year before the period that was audited.
Mr Jajua could not sufficiently shed light on the matter.
The original receipt which showed the 2020 dates (the year of the audit) was signed by the Finance Manager not the Chairman of the Board. In his testimony during the hearing, Mr Jajua said he was the custodian of all financial documents at State House.
However, when asked about the receipts produced after the initial management report was issued, he said the receipts had been in the possession of SCOP for a year. He further stated that he only got hold of the documents after the auditors had asked for them.
The witness was also asked about a letter produced for the first time today by the State, and addressed to the Acting Auditor General, Abdul Aziz dated December 2021, two months after the final audit report was issued in October, 2021.
The letter was signed by the chairman of the Board of one of the hotels with the disputed receipts, and there was also a receipt attached to the letter.
That receipt was signed by the Chairman but also had more inconsistencies. The hearing continues when the state is expected to call its expert witness.