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{
    "id": 145293,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/145293/?format=api",
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    "content": "A summary of the Committee’s observations and recommendations on some of the salient and critical queries raised in the Report of the Controller and Auditor-General are indicated here-below. (1) On the issue of lack of adequate preparation, the Committee noted with concern that some Accounting Officers were not adequately prepared for the PAC meetings. The Committee also noted that on several occasions, Accounting Officers interfered with its tight sitting programme due to unnecessary postponements and lack of sufficient notices for the same. In some cases, their written submissions were received by the Controller and Auditor-General and the Committee at the beginning of sessions instead of the pre-requisite five days before appearance as requested by the Committee. On several occasions, the responses were very inadequate and unsatisfactory and not accompanied by supporting documents, thus delaying and making the work of the Committee very difficult indeed. These factors negatively impacted on the performance of my Committee. The PAC, therefore, recommends that in future, such trends will not be tolerated or taken lightly and it may proceed to prepare its Report without the evidence of those Accounting Officers, who will subsequently be named. At this stage, I want to warn those Accounting Officers that my Committee is very unique. It has a Doctor of Mathematics and two Certified Public Accountants. We are, therefore, capable of perusing evidence and making recommendations in spite of them not appearing before us. We will take this matter very seriously. We want to be the first PAC that will be the reason why several Accounting Officers will not just be transferred, but be dismissed from service altogether. (2) On lack of clear legal framework for disciplining Accounting Officers, the Committee heard that the Treasury appoints Accounting Officers and receivers of revenue, but the current laws do not provide a clear framework for disciplining errant appointees. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government should consider introducing a Bill in Parliament that will stipulate penalties and disciplinary actions to be taken against errant Accounting Officers. We would like the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, and I hope he is listening, to know that this is an all very important recommendation--- If he will not bring an amendment Bill to this House, we will require him to declare his interest in terms of protection of cartels that exist in Government systems. (3) The issue of absence of documents and delay in availing them for audit verification also arose. The Committee expressed grave concern that over the years, several Accounting Officers continued to entertain inordinate delays in availing documents to the Controller and Auditor-General for verification at the time of audit. The Committee also deplored the absence of documents at the time of audit which could conceal possible fraud. The habit amounts to breach of law and Government financial regulations. The Committee strongly recommends that all Accounting Officers who fail to avail documents for audit verification at the time of audit without good cause should be barred from holding public office. (4) On pending bills, as has been the case in the past, bills which should have been paid during the year under review were carried forward to the subsequent financial year. The Committee noted with concern that Ministries failed to sufficiently budget for"
}