**Fatshimetrie highlights the underside of a financial affair at the Court of Auditors**
The recent announcement from the Court of Auditors concerning the irregularities noted in the conduct of a service mission to Gécamines des Carrières et des Mines by the Inspector General of Finance, Jules Alingete, shook the world of public finance. Indeed, the latter is accused of having diverted the initial purpose of financial control to make it a consultancy mission, to the detriment of public funds.
According to information provided by the General Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Auditors, the inspectors on mission were paid both by the Public Treasury and by Gécamines, in addition to having acted as consultants to the mining company. Such a situation constitutes a serious management error, underlined by the fact that a control mission cannot exceed fifteen working days, under penalty of violation of administrative rules.
The summons of Jules Alingete raises questions about the legality of the procedure initiated. While some experts believe that the initiative should fall to the First President of the Court of Auditors, the Prosecutor’s Office declares itself competent to conduct the investigation, referring to the prerogatives conferred on it by the law on the organization and functioning of the Court. of the 2018 Accounts.
Article 129 of the law relating to public finances clearly specifies the offense of mismanagement, attributed here to Jules Alingete for having obtained an unjustified financial advantage of approximately 750,000 USD, thus causing damage to the central power. The hearings scheduled for Thursday July 18 could intensify the investigations, and in the event of detection of a criminal offense, the file will be transmitted to the competent judicial authorities for further proceedings.
This affair therefore implicitly reveals possible shortcomings in the surveillance and control of public expenditure, highlighting the need for impeccable transparency and rigorous management of state funds. It also underlines the importance of respecting the rules established in terms of administrative and financial control, an essential pillar of good governance. Fatshimetrie will certainly continue to closely monitor developments in this matter, in the interest of its readers and financial justice.