MoF officials to face law over expenditure report: WJ

KABUL or lower house of Parliament on Monday decided to introduce officials of the Finance Ministry and other relevant organs to the Attorney General Office (AGO), who committed violations in spending budget of 1397 fiscal year.

According to a Pajhwok Afghan News report, a number of projects’ funds were shifted to other schemes, billions of afghanis allocated for targets have not been spent while some organizations received more budget than defined.

The Wolesi Jirga summoned acting finance minister Hamayon Qayumi and head of High Audit Authority Mohammad Naim Haqmal for providing explanation about budget spending.

Sayed Azim Kabarzani, secretary of finance and budget commission of Wolesi Jirga, tod today’s session that shifting the budget from one to another code was not permissible and only ministries of defense and interior and National Directorate of Security could receive operative funds.

However, he said the president’s Protection Department received 30 million and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 10 million aAfghanis in operative money illegally.

Based on this commission’s assessments, NDS spent 1.35 billion afghanis more than allowed, Kabarzani said.

He said 2.5 billion afghanis were shifted from precautionary codes to codes 91 and 92. The Ministry of Finance was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding spending this budget, he added.

He said 44 budgetary units spent more than 80 percent of their development budget in 1397 fiscal year and nine other budgetary units including two ministries and seven independent organs spent less than 80 percent of their development budget.

He said 2,217 positions were created in 14 budgetary units and 125 million afghanis in salaries of Dispute Resolution Commission workers while the commission was not part of the budgetary units.

Finance and budget commission has found that the Ministry of Finance shifted the budgets of 189 projects to other projects and shifted projects from one to other organs which violated the budget statute, Kabarzani said.

The joint commission has decided to summon heads of ministries and departments who spent less than 80 percent of their budget and suggested dismissal of deputy head, finance in charge, policy and plan in charge, construction in charge and head of National Procurement Authority, he said.

He added that the commission had asked heads of these organs to dismiss them and introduce them to judiciary organs.

“We have decided that all organs should clear their budget accounts until the end of ongoing fiscal year, otherwise these organs would not have the right to receive cash in advance, if organs do not do so they would be introduced to judiciary sources,” he added.

Kabarzani said the commission also decided to dismiss officials who committed negligence in collection of revenue and introduce them to judiciary organs.

He said that Ministry of Finance was responsible for implementation of budget statute and officials of the ministry would be introduced to AGO for violations in this regard.

However, acting finance minister Mohammad Hamayon Qayumi, about the findings of Wolesi Jirga said, “Not even one afghani has been stolen or went to private accounts of someone, all changes in budget were brought according to the president’s orders and we have all needed documents in this regard.”

He said five billion afghanis of 9.5 billion afghanis unspent budget of organs had been clarified and the process would continue in the current financial year.

The cases deemed as violations in the expenditure report have been shared with the Wolesi Jirga in the mid of the fiscal year, he said.

“The budget in 1397 fiscal year was spent effectively and properly and the average spending was 93 percent which was unprecedented, we expected encouragement from the parliament,” he said.

He asked the Wolesi Jirga not to make unjust allegations about financial issues and be fair in sharing information with public.

However, a number of lawmakers said the president had no right to interfere in financial issues based on the constitution and could not give special authority to the Ministry of Finance by giving orders.

Concluding the proceedings, Wolesi Jirga speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani put eight proposals for vote and of 162 lawmakers present, 154 agreed with the proposals.

However, the lower house was divided over the expenditure report of 1397 fiscal year and lawmakers decided to vote again on the report next Wednesday.

On the other hand, Ghulam Faroq Majroh, a lawmaker from Herat province said that the Ministry of Finance had launched a huge campaign since a month to convince public representatives about the expenditure report.

Mds/ma