Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL) – The Finance and Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly (FPAC) has responded to a press release from the Judicial Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission, highlighting a misrepresentation of facts regarding the Judicature’s failure to appear before the FPAC for parliamentary scrutiny.

In a press release dated 19th April 2024, the Judicial Secretary alleged that the Judicature was scheduled to appear before the FPAC on 24th April 2024. However, the FPAC clarified that the Judicature was actually summoned through a letter dated 8th April 2024, with Ref. No. ME 28/91/02/X (150), to appear on Thursday, 18th April 2024, to submit and present its annual Activity Reports and audited Financial Statements.

The FPAC emphasized that engagements with National Assembly committees take precedence over all other matters and that institutions failing to submit required reports are requested to do so before the scheduled date of their meetings. Despite this, neither the Judicature nor the Judicial Secretary reported as scheduled, nor did they notify the FPAC about their inability to attend the meeting. As a result, the Presentation and Consideration of the annual Activity Reports and audited Financial Statements of The Judiciary could not proceed due to their absence.

The FPAC reminded the Judicial Secretary of his constitutional and statutory responsibilities, including preparing annual accounts of the Judiciary for submission to the Auditor General for audit and submitting those annual audited accounts to the FPAC for scrutiny, as is the case with all other independent institutions of the State.

The FPAC reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the principles of accountability and transparency in governance, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect between the National Assembly and the Judicature to ensure the effective functioning of democratic institutions and strengthen public trust in the governance process.