Economy

AG’s office on the spot for not remitting Sh152m to Treasury

githu

Attorney-General Githu Muigai. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The office of the Attorney-General and the Department of Justice is on the spot over failure to remit revenue amounting to Sh152.4 million to the Treasury as required by law.

Auditor-General Edward Ouko says the AG’s office has not been remitting revenue collected on its behalf at the Huduma Centre, e-Citizen platform and Safaricom #ticker:SCOM in the year to June 2016.

Also not remitted is Public Trustees Fees held at a deposit account and revenue arising from conveyance (chattel) fees.

“The office of the Attorney-General and the Department of Justice has not been remitting revenue as analysed below,” Mr Ouko said in his latest audit of the books of accounts dated May 23, 2017, and tabled in Parliament.

He said the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) has been collecting revenue on behalf of the companies registry for name search and reservation, registration of business names, registration of companies and registration of welfare societies through a contract signed between the PCK and the Attorney General and the Department of Justice.

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He said Sh204,882,390 was collected by the PCK during the year to June 30, 2016, as reflected in the Posta Pay electronic transfer system.

“Out of this amount, only Sh66,199,200 had been remitted leaving a balance of Sh138,683,190 contrary to the provisions of the contract agreement,” Mr Ouko said in a qualified audit report.

He said the validity of the transactions could not be ascertained. On the e-Citizen, Mr Ouko said Sh11,040,750 in respect of name search and reservation, registration of companies and business names had been collected by June 30, 2016, but there was no evidence it had been remitted to the Treasury as required.

He said Safaricom, which collects revenue in respect of name search on behalf of the AG’s office, had collected Sh1,538,316 but had not been remitted by end of June 2016.