27th November 2024
Own Correspondent
The Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship has revealed that the serious nature of allegations of sabotage and impropriety at the Citizen Entrepreneurship Development Agency(CEDA) compelled him to instigate a forensic audit of the Financial Development Institution(FDI).
The exercise is projected to take three months and its results are expected to be publicly available.
Tiroyaone Ntsima, Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, said “I considered the contents of the petition and concluded that the nature of the petition obligates me as the shareholder representative in CEDA, to commission a forensic audit to verify all allegations and to investigate other related matters not raised in the petition but which could be of assistance.”:
He said, “The Ministry is aware and concerned about the nature of a series of allegations which naturally, raise questions regarding the governance and other issues involving the operational management of CEDA. What has been shared in, or through various media platforms is truly disturbing.”
The Ministry advised that in order to take informed decisions it will take feedback from various experts and respect established processes of law so that no entity or person is compromised.
None of the persons at the centre of the controversy appear to be under pressure to resign pending the outcome of the investigation and there is skepticism amongst stakeholders about the integrity of the process. The state however contends there will be full accountability and transparency.
“As part of this process and in the event of there being any other concerns that may arise from time to time, we encourage that information be shared with the Ministry,” said Ntsima.
He said, “We assure the public that our Ministry’s day to day public service delivery processes will have no tolerance for corruption and questionable conduct.”
