The Auditor General (AG) of the National Audit Office (NAO) has raised concerns over the payment of GMD 4,415,694.48 in salary increments, citing missing promotion letters as a key issue.

In the management letter accompanying the government's 2023 audited accounts, the AG noted that these salary increases were not supported by the required documentation. According to Section 02101 of the General Orders, "all appointments and promotions, with the exceptions listed in the Constitution of The Gambia, will be made, in writing, in accordance with the Act and Regulations."

"A review of personal files revealed that salary increments totaling GMD 4,415,694.48 were paid to officers whose promotion letters could not be located," the Auditor General said. He warned that unauthorized salary increases could lead to financial losses and overstate expenditure in the government's financial statements.

The AG classified the matter as high priority and recommended that the Accountant General ensure all missing promotion letters are produced for audit verification. "Any unseen promotion letter will be considered not genuine," the report stated.

Management responded by assuring that the promotion letters were available for review. However, the AG noted that while most letters had been submitted, one, belonging to Ali Touray, was still missing.

Further scrutiny revealed that two promotional letters contained grade discrepancies that did not align with the status recorded in the NASDNA system. The salaries associated with these unresolved promotions for 2023 amount to GMD 480,738.30, the AG reported.

The NAO has called on management to resolve these issues promptly to ensure accountability and compliance with government financial regulations.