ADDIS ABABA, June 26 (AGCNewsNet) – Ethiopia’s lower house of parliament has threatened legal and administrative action against federal institutions that repeatedly show audit discrepancies, according to a report presented Tuesday during the 39th regular session of the House of Peoples' Representatives.

The Federal Auditor General’s latest findings revealed that 70 federal institutions made purchases amounting to over 404.7 million birr (approximately $11.6 million) without adhering to established procurement guidelines.

Speaker of the House Tagesse Chafo said there is legal justification for holding institutions accountable when they fail to address audit findings.

“There is a legal ground to hold accountable institutions that repeatedly show audit findings and fail to take corrective measures,” Chafo stated during the session.

He urged the Parliament’s standing committees to include the evaluation of audit reports in their annual plans and to begin preparations for legal measures during the next Ethiopian fiscal year, beginning July 8, 2025.

The speaker emphasized that “legal, political, and administrative measures” would be taken against entities that neglect to implement audit corrections, based on comprehensive assessments coordinated by the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Government Expenditure Management and Control Affairs.

Among the institutions flagged in the audit report are the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Water and Energy, the Ministry of Revenues, and the National Rehabilitation Commission.

The move reflects growing concerns over transparency and fiscal accountability as Ethiopia prepares to enter the 2018 Ethiopian calendar year.

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