WJ decision defied, nearly 2b afs spent from Code-91, 92

KABUL (Pajhwok): Wolesi Jirga members on Monday expressed concern over funds’ adjustments and extra spending from emergency codes, 91 and 92, and called for summoning of the finance minister and Ministry of Finance officials for explanation.

Sayed Azim Kabarzani, secretary of the Finance Commission of Wolesi Jirga, told today’s meeting of the lower house that one billion afghanis had been approved for the Code 91 in 1398 fiscal year, but 1.83 billion was withdrawn from the code without approval from the Wolesi Jirga.

State Ministry in Parliamentary Affairs has shared the adjustments lists of Code 91 with the lower house on January 5.

One of the lists titled ‘Adjustments from Code 91 with organizational difference’ relocates funds from eight government organs.

The list shows more than 68 percent of the money had been reallocated to two organizations, the Administrative Office of the President and the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

The second list titled ‘Adjustments from Code 91 with categorical differences of expenses’ shows that most of the money was spent on the operative section.

Sayed Azim Kabarzani said the Ministry of Finance had not provided details about the expenses from Code 91.

Mir Afghan Safi, head of the Finance and Budget Commission of lower house, on January 15, had said that the commission was tasked to evaluate expenses from Codes 91 and 92 in 1398 fiscal year and then to share the report with the general session of the house.

He had said the commission requested the MoF three times to provide the expenditure report of the mentioned codes in 1398 fiscal year in the last one month, but the ministry was yet to provide that information.

The ministry only provided expenditure report of the codes from year 1399, but if failed to provide the report of the previous year, the house would summon finance minister, he had warned.

However, Habib Rahman Zadran, deputy finance minister had earlier said that the ministry had shared the required information in its expenditure report of 1398 fiscal year with the house.

He had said if the Budget and Finance Commission of the lower house needed more information, the ministry was ready to cooperate with the commission but the issue should be politicized.

Mir Rahman Rahmani, Wolesi Jirga speaker, said that adjustments in the budget plan were responsibility of the lower house and the MoF should have not adjusted funds from one code to another code.

Lawmakers said they would not approve the 1400 fiscal year budget unless balance in the budget was observed and salaries of teachers, officers, contractors and soldiers were equalized as well as incomplete projects were included in the plan.

The lower house has twice rejected the next fiscal year’s budget.

mds/ma

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