New Pac to reviewcashgate reports

Parliament’s new Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is set to review reports of the previous committee which summoned various stakeholders, including former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo, on how billions of taxpayers’ funds were siphoned from government coffers.

PAC, which was constituted during the first meeting of the new Parliament elected in the May 20 Tripartite Elections, is expected to meet from next Monday when the committee will decide on which reports to table at the next Parliament meeting set for September.

This explanation allays fears by the previous committee, which was chaired by Beatrice Mwangonde, that the work they did on Cashgate was in vain after Parliament failed to meet when it was constitutionally dissolved in March this year pending elections.

New PAC chairperson Alekeni Menyani said in an interview yesterday his committee would also line up stakeholders to be interviewed in relation to the work of the committee.

He said: “The committee is set and ready to start work. The reports will be part of the business of the committee and we will pick up where the previous committee left off.”

But Menyani added the committee, which comprises members of various political parties, would have to reach a consensus on which reports to prioritise.

Among the reports to be reviewed is the K92 billion audit findings into the Central Payment System which the National Audit Office (NAO) carried out. The audit commissioned by Treasury covered the period between 2009 and part of 2012, butmet resistance from members of the committee who were in Cabinet in the period under audit.

The previous PAC compiled three reports on Cashgate, but these were not presented to Parliament because it was dissolved and former president Joyce Banda did not use her powers to summon a meeting of Parliament despite earlier assurances.

The reports included one on meetings with various stakeholders such as Anti-Corruption Bureau, former Auditor Generals and former Accountant generals.

The other report to undergo review by the new committee is the forensic audit the British firm Baker Tilly conducted on behalf of NAO which found that K13 billion was lost from government coffers through various means among them siphoning hard cash using private companies.

PAC, like other committees have powers to summon any person to attend or give evidence to the committee and they are required to disclose papers and records under their control which are relevant to the committee’s proceedings, according to Standing Orders 151 (1).