No Cash For MPs

Indications are that the Budgetary Allocation for the Office of Parliament for this year might not be given the needed approval by the honourable members.

This followed a revelation yesterday by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Hon Samuel Salas-Mensah, of the inability of the Office of Parliament to provide receipts for payments made in respect of 53 items allegedly purchased in 2005 and amounting to ¢4.6bn.

The Finance Department (FD) of the Office of Parliament, led by the newly appointed clerk, Mr. Emmanuel Anyimadu, yesterday took its turn to answer queries raised in the Auditor-General’s report.

It came to light also that no endorsed receipts had been collected in respect of other transactions made by the FD, also amounting to ¢443.3 million. Furthermore, the department failed to support accountable imprest with any authentic report. The committee abhorred the practice and cautioned that unless the FD puts things right, Parliament would find it difficult to approve of its budgetary allocations for the year.

The FD as well answered a query on wrongful allocation of fuel to the tune of ¢115 million to parliamentary staff who in addition collected huge maintenance allowances.

The department explained that those vehicles were duty post cars allocated to Departmental Heads and used by members of those offices.

Their appeal for a write-off did not, however, meet the approval of the committee which ordered that those involved be surcharged with the amount.The PAC also described the practice as absurd, and directed that it should be discontinued forthwith.

On the ¢443.3 million, the Director of Finance, Mr. Kofi Amponsah Boateng told the committee that his outfit was in constant touch with the payees, some of whom resided outside Accra. The committee charged the FD to live up to expectation; “we as law makers should be seen to be doing what is right.”