Attorney General: Ministries should only open accounts with the Central Bank

The Attorney General Dr. Ahmed Dahir has reiterated a previous cabinet directive which bars all government ministries and other institutions from opening accounts with private banks  but instead with with the Central Bank.

“Any income generated by any government ministry or institution should not fall into the wrong hands; to avoid this we have the Central Bank. Put the income there to keep up with the international standard of doing things and for transparency. Ministries should therefore inform their clients to deposit the money with Central Bank, then come bank with receipt so that they can get their services” said the Attorney.

He was speaking at a ceremony by the Trade and Industry Ministry where the minister was announcing plans to cut the fee for acquiring business licenses. “No minister or any other person has the authority to fix prices, tariffs, or taxes without following the proper procedure, which is first proposing the change and then tabling in the cabinet meeting so that they can pass, and then submit to the parliament for approval before it can be effected,” said Dahir.

On the service delivery, the Attorney General has cautioned the ministries of bad services which he said would encourage citizens to look for alternatives.

The Attorney has been speaking out about bad practices in the government, but concrete steps are yet to be seen.

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