By No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper
In a significant development, the Ministry of Finance and Planning conducted an informative session aimed at guiding accounting officers from spending agencies on the effective management of financial claims.
The event, which took place on Thursday, January 18, 2024, in Juba, saw the participation of representatives from various government institutions, including Undersecretaries, Directors General, Directors, and senior officials.
During the session, Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol, the Minister of Finance and Planning, addressed the accounting officers, emphasizing the importance of regulating the claims that are submitted to the Ministry of Finance.
“The Minister of Finance and Planning, Hon. Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol urged the representatives of spending agencies to regulate the claims they send to the Ministry of Finance, to ensure such documents are authentic, legitimate and procedural, to curb the issues of bogus claims and contain the rampant overcrowding at the ministry of finance,” a statement from the finance ministry partly read.
Minister Bak urged the representatives to ensure that the documents they submit are authentic, legitimate, and follow the proper procedures.
This measure was proposed to address the pressing issue of bogus claims and reduce the overcrowding at the Ministry of Finance.
He revealed that the forthcoming payment of salaries would be carried out through financial ID cards, which will be issued to all public servants and organized forces.
This new approach aims to eliminate ghost names from the payroll and pave the way for a biometric system of salary payment.
The accounting officers present at the meeting expressed their appreciation for the discussion and stressed the need for regular meetings with the Ministry of Finance and Planning.
They proposed that these meetings be held on a quarterly basis to improve cooperation and overcome obstacles that hinder the smooth and timely payment of salaries, as well as the transfer of operational costs and office services to all spending agencies.
In 2022, former Minister of Finance and Planning Agak Achuil Lual also raised concerns on the same issue.
He said people flock to the ministry claiming payment for forged medical referrals and nonexistent contract payments.
“These are the difficult times to work at the Ministry of Finance if you tell someone that there is no money, they will say please do something, especially for my kinsmen they will say look down there! I will say there is no money but they insist that look on the ground yet there is no money on the ground,” Agak said at the time.