Somalia: Puntland's Auditor General suspends bank accounts of Ministries

GAROWE, Puntland- The Auditor General of Somalia’s northeastern region of Puntland, Jama Mohamed Osman, has ordered the suspension of all accounts of the Ministries in the private banks, Garowe Online reports.

According to a letter dated 18th July, Osman notified government offices, remittances and private banks to temporarily suspend cash withdrawals by ex-Ministers, starting from 19th July, until further notice.

The new order has also effected the sitting Puntland officials, who have been barred for picking cash from the private banks operating in the region, in a move aimed at preventing possible corruption.

The statement came a day after the state's Parliament members have overwhelmingly passed a no confidence motion against the cabinet ministers over corruption and failing to deal with the insecurity in the region.

During their session on Tuesday morning in Garowe, 47 lawmakers, out of the 66 members of the Parliament supported the motion, 9 MPs abstained from voting, whereas one voted against it.

In a press conference, Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas has accepted the decision of the Parliament, and promised to appoint a new cabinet in 21 days, in accordance with the constitution.

Tuesday's vote of no confidence against the cabinet was a rare and the first of its kind since Puntland declared itself to be semi-autonomous in northeastern Somalia in 1998.

GAROWEONLINE