PAC refrains from debating issues cited in PS, US court case
MBABANE – The PAC yesterday resolved not to debate some queries included in the AG’s Financial Audit Report on the DPM’s Office, after it was disclosed that they were cited in the court case between the PS and US.
This was during the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office’s (DPMO) second appearance before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), after they were advised to sort out the internal conflict within the office and return with cohesive responses in the first sitting.
The Principal Secretary in the DPMO, Makhosini Mndawe, in his submission, stated that Paragraph 25 of the Financial Audit Report by the AG, Timothy Matsebula, to paragraph 33, were issues that formed part of the urgent application submitted for a pending court case.
Court
“These issues are currently being discussed in court, however, if you instruct chair, I could go on,” the PS said.
The aforementioned paragraphs include issues pertaining to irregularities in the procurement of constructions works by Slomoes Corporation, unjustified pricing and quantity of material delivered for the works, payment made to a supplier before the installation of a security system, payment for incorrect furniture delivered, unaccounted for and unverified laptops, specimen signatures changed without the knowledge of the principal accountant and fraudulent payments, among others.
The PAC Chairperson Gege Member of Parliament (MP), Musa Kunene, said if the issues contained in the AG’s report were now in court, they had to respect that and accept that they would not be receiving responses on same at the moment.
Recommendations
“Since you cannot give the responses as the matter is sub judice, it would be advisable to move on from this because ours is to make recommendations based on responses given,” said Kunene.
Mntfongwaneni MP Roy Fanourakis said the report had been issued for a while now yet there were still no responses on the issues identified or reported by the AG.
“Let me make an example of Paragraph 25, which reports that works were procured without a contract. Just that alone the controlling officer is unable to give us responses on, and does this mean that this was done without his permission yet it is his project?” questioned Fanourakis.
He said these were issues the controlling officer needed to be aware of as the project was under him and this demonstrated that there was lack of communication within the office.
However, PAC chairperson said as the controlling officer had stated that there was an ongoing investigation on the aforementioned issues and a case was pending in court, they had to respect that.
Merits
“This is because if we start going into the merits of these matters to try and get to the bottom of them you might find that the court verdict disputes the submissions which could be made here. We, therefore, cannot be found to be against the ruling of the court.
“The PS also acknowledges that there are problems relative to these findings in the report and the matter is continuing in court, therefore let us move on from it,” said the Gege MP.
Legal advisor in the DPMO Lucky Vilakati attested to the fact that most of the queries in the Finance Audit Report were indeed part of the annexures in the urgent application by the applicant, Under Secretary in the DPMO Hlobisile Dlamini.
The sitting was further adjourned after this was established.