Law to be amended to force public servants to give account for their spending at PAC

Nov 23, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – A new law will soon be introduced that will empower the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to go after public officers who would fail to give account for spending the money belonging to the State.

The new law is likely to be brought to the National Assembly in the coming months. This was revealed during a meeting of the PAC on Monday, when the committee met to deal with matters regarding Region Five expenditure for the year 2019. It was pointed out during the hearing that the accounting officer from that period, Ovid Morrison, was not present at the morning session. It was also pointed out that on a number of occasions public officers have refused to, or are unable to, make themselves available for questioning.

As such, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and PAC member Juretha Fernandes reminded the committee of a proposed motion aimed at empowering the PAC to mandate public servants to appear before the committee. Fernandes said: “One of the things I want to remind the PAC is that we had an issue in which we discussed, at length, whether the PAC even had the power to summon anyone to attend. Because we realised, and I think it was expressed even by our legal minds here at the PAC, Mr. Datadin and so forth, that we do not have that power to summon anyone.”

A sitting of the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament

“Hence, we have a motion being put forward right now, collectively, by the PAC to the National Assembly, so that we will actually have the law changed so that we will then have the power to summon someone. So, as it is right now, we cannot operate as though the PAC has any power to summon. So, we need to expedite that motion in the National Assembly so we can go down this course.”

Acting Chairperson of the PAC, Ganesh Mahipaul told the committee that the motion would seek to vest the PAC with the authority in the Legislative Evidence Bodies Act, to be able to summon officers. In the meantime, he said the work of the PAC will not be stymied.

As it relates to Morrison, he said “I am guided that the Parliament Office was informed by the current REO that she is in communication with Mr. Ovid Morrison…Three weeks ago, we were supposed to examine Region Five. And unfortunately, we did not get to examine Region 5.”

Mahipaul explained that in so doing, the Parliament Office dispatched a letter addressed to Mr. Ovid Morrison, to the current REO, for her to dispatch to Morrison. Mahipual lamented “Clearly, there is an issue in terms of communication, his availability and whether he is in the jurisdiction or not. I am proposing that we move forward with the paragraphs before us and if the need arises where a paragraph or two would require that clarity from the former REO, then we would have to take a decision going forward.”

Morrison did eventually show up at the PAC meeting in the afternoon session.

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Datadin, Juretha Fernandes, Member of Parliament (MP), National Assembly, Public Accounts Committee (PAC)

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