Chief Justice’s Allowances Exceed Salary as Questions Mount Over Auditor General’s Pay
AG and CJ Salaries and Allowances © Askanwi
By Askanwi,
Allowances can sometimes exceed basic salaries, as appears to be the case with the Chief Justice in the 2027 Draft Budget. According to the 2027 Draft Budget, the Chief Justice’s allowances total D1.4 million, exceeding his D1.2 million basic salary.
The Auditor General’s allowances, however, are much more difficult to ascertain. Instead of separately identifying the allowances payable to the Auditor General, the 2027 Draft Budget provides a lump sum of D118.4 million for the National Audit Office, making it difficult to determine how much of this amount is allocated to the Auditor General.
To ensure citizens can clearly understand how much government officials are actually paid, an additional column showing 2025 actual payments should be included alongside the 2026 figures.
Until the National Assembly demands that the Personnel Management Office provides this information, citizens will continue to struggle to determine the actual salaries and allowances paid to top government officials. The current Manpower Budget largely provides estimated and approved figures, which do not necessarily show what was actually paid.
Chief Justice proposed salary and allowances for 2026 © Askanwi
Questions Around the Auditor General’s Salary
The Auditor General’s salary raises an even more significant concern.
Last year, Parliament approved the 2026 Budget, which set the Auditor General’s annual salary at D706,250. However, the 2027 Draft Budget lists the salary at D2.112 million per year, equivalent to approximately D175,425 per month.
If accurate, this would make the Auditor General the second-highest-paid government official, below only the President.
Given the Government’s established hierarchy and historical salary records, Askanwi believes the Auditor General’s salary in the 2027 Draft Budget requires further clarification.
Our first concern is the significant difference between the 2026 Approved Budget and the 2027 Draft Budget.
The Personnel Management Office and the Auditor General’s Office should clarify why the Auditor General’s approved annual salary of D706,250 in 2026 has been replaced by D2.112 million in the 2027 Draft Budget. This makes it difficult to ascertain which figure should be used.
Secondly, Parliament should seek clarification on whether the Auditor General’s monthly salary has actually increased from approximately D58,854 in 2026 to D175,425 in 2027—an increase of almost three times in just one year.
Auditor General’s 2026 and 2027 Manpower Budget © Askanwi
Auditor General Supreme Court Case
The timing of this issue is particularly significant.
A month before the Government tabled the 2026 Draft Budget in Parliament on 31 October 2025, President Adama Barrow appointed Mr Modou Sowe as the new Auditor General, following the removal of his predecessor, an action that was subsequently challenged as unconstitutional.
It is important to note that the 2026 Budget was approved before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in the Auditor General’s case.
According to the Supreme Court judgment issued in July 2026, the Government is required to pay the former Auditor General, Ceesay, his remuneration for the remainder of his tenure, in addition to D4 million in compensation.
This raises an important question: Are the salaries of both the current and former Auditor General being accounted for in the Manpower Budget, or is only one Auditor General reflected?
The 2027 Draft Budget appears to indicate that only one Auditor General is being paid. However, this may not tell the full story given the Supreme Court judgment and the Government’s outstanding obligations to the former Auditor General.
In addition, the 2027 Draft Budget contains an expenditure line for Arbitration and Court Awards, which appears to provide a more appropriate budget line for accounting for the former Auditor General’s outstanding remuneration and the D4 million compensation ordered by the Supreme Court.
Parliament should therefore interrogate the Auditor General’s salary in the 2027 Draft Budget and seek clarity on how the Government intends to meet its financial obligations to the former Auditor General, including his outstanding remuneration and the D4 million compensation awarded by the Supreme Court.
