The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is facing increased scrutiny after an audit uncovered questionable payments of child and education allowances to staff for children who were reportedly not eligible.

An audit review revealed that the Ministry paid at least $57,850 and €7,230 in allowances linked to children who were either above the approved age limit or whose eligibility could not be properly verified. The findings came from an examination of personnel records from Sierra Leone’s foreign missions.

According to the audit, eight staff members received a combined $41,275 and €3,615 for children who were already over the age of 18, despite earlier warnings from auditors advising the Ministry to stop such payments. The report noted that birth certificates on file clearly showed the children exceeded the eligible age limit.

In another case, 10 staff members were paid a total of $66,304 and €3,615.48 in similar allowances, but their personal files lacked critical documents such as birth certificates and copies of children’s passports. These documents are required to confirm eligibility before payments are approved.

Auditors recommended that the Ministry recover the funds paid to staff with overage children and ensure the money is returned to the Consolidated Fund. They also advised that staff who failed to submit the required documents should refund the allowances in full.

In its response, the Ministry acknowledged the audit findings and said it acted on the recommendations. Management stated that affected staff were contacted and maintained that the children involved were eligible, adding that supporting documents were available for verification.

However, a follow-up verification by auditors found no evidence to support these claims for the eight staff members who received payments for overage children. There was also no proof that the money had been recovered or paid back to the Consolidated Fund.

For the remaining 10 staff members, auditors confirmed that documents were eventually submitted and verified for six individuals. But records for four others, who received a combined $16,575 and €3,615.48, were still missing. As a result, auditors concluded that this part of the issue was only partially resolved.

The findings have renewed concerns about weak financial controls and poor compliance with public service regulations, particularly in the management of staff allowances at Sierra Leone’s foreign missions.