GOVERNMENT RELEASES MINISTERIAL AUDITS

UNCLAS CONAKRY 000087

SIPDIS

DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USTR FOR LAURIE ANN AGAMA
COMMERCE FOR SALIHA LOUCIF

SIPDIS

E.O. 12598: N/A
TAGS: ECIN EFIN ECON EMIN PGOV GV
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT RELEASES MINISTERIAL AUDITS

REFTEL: CONAKRY 00182


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. On April 7, the Guinean Government finally
released the audits requested by Prime Minister Kouyate last year to
address alleged corruption. While the overall total amount lost, 45
million USD, has been known for some time (REFTEL),the release
allows a closer inspection of each ministry. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) On march 31, the Ministry of Economic and Financial
Control, Ethics, and Transparence released selected ministerial
audits of the Government of Guinea (GoG). The period covered by the
audits is 1 January 2006 to 30 June 2007. According to the Ministry
of Economic and Financial Control, future audits will stay on the
same time track.


3. (SBU) The audits of the following ministries were released: the
Ministry of Mines, the Secretary General of Religious Affairs, the
Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Fishing, Ministry of Transport,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Health, and Ministry
of Communication. According to the Secretary General of the Ministry
of Economic and Financial Control, Dr. Camara, the audits of the
Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Public Works are not ready
and have not been released. The military was not audited, nor was
the Presidency. (REFTEL).


4. (SBU) The audits identify general areas, sometimes departments,
sometimes sub-departments, within each audited ministry. They
identify the total amounts of losses due to embezzlement, property
unaccounted for, or just spending for which there is no
justification available. At the end of each ministry section, the
audit makes recommendations to rectify the problems identified.


5. (SBU) The recommendations run from "recover the amounts
embezzled" to "reform the mechanism to issue fishing licenses." No
individual names of those believed to be responsible for the losses
are mentioned in the audits.


6. (SBU) COMMENT. The audits were supposed to be released all
together, but the government has been under pressure from various
sectors to publish the results. The missing ministries are critical
in that they have large budgets and officials have plenty of
opportunity for significant graft. Although the reports do not name
specific individuals, they do break down ministries by various
departments and areas of responsibility. The longest report in the
audit is on the Ministry of Fishing. The current Minister of
Fishing, Mohamed Youla, has been a government bureaucrat
long-suspected of being corrupt. (NOTE: For example, in 2005, the
media reported that someone stole Five Hundred Thousand Euros out of
a spare tire on Youla's car. END NOTE.) He was shuffled from his
position as the National Director of the Budget at the Ministry of
Finance to the Minister of Fishing when Kouyate named his consensus
government. The local press is emphasizing that the audits prove
the extent of corruption in the Government. Embassy will be looking
at the audits more closely and provide further analysis as
appropriate. END COMMENT.

CARTER