-says organisation not registered
August 9, 2016 By Ibrahim Tarawallie
Majority Leader in the House of Parliament yesterday said the Chief Executive of Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI) would be invited to Parliament to substantiate his claim that over Le120 billion has so far been spent on the House by the government in the last five years.
Hon. Ibrahim Bundu’s statement came following a press release from CHRDI dated, 26 July, 2016 where the group accused parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to have failed to properly account for billions allocated to them in the last five years.
However, during a presser in Committee Room No.1, Hon. Bundu admitted that parliamentarians have been receiving Constituency Development Fund since 2014, but noted that allegation that they had received Le120 billion in total in the past five years was misleading.
He explained that they started receiving what was coined Constituency Facilitation Fund in the tune of Le5.406 billion in 2010, with each MP collecting Le43, 596,774.19 over a period of four years.
He continued that in 2014, the fund was renamed Constituency Development Fund with each parliamentarian receiving Le62.4 million, amounting to Le7.8 billion, adding that for the past seven years (2010-2016), lawmakers have received Le47, 089,667,028.00, comprising both Constituency Facilitation Fund and Constituency Development Fund, and not Le120billion as claimed by CHRDI.
“Parliament is paid through the Consolidated Fund and payment is made to the Clerk and you have to account to the one that gives you money. We are candidates for scrutiny to the Parliamentary Service Commission and the Auditor General’s office,” he said.
Also, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Chernoh Ramadan Bah said: “The press release by CHRDI few weeks ago has provoked a lot of discussion within and outside Sierra Leone. People have the opportunity to ask questions but they don’t ask. We encourage everyone to talk to Parliament and parliamentarians.”
He said they have checked with SLANGO and Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and can confirm that the organisation is not registered with either.
He said CHRDI claimed that some members of Parliament were interviewed, but their own investigations indicate that no Member of Parliament was contacted.
“We are all waving our rights or immunity from being named as those that were interviewed. People presume knowledge without coming to us and presuming knowledge is more dangerous than those without knowledge. You cannot use a press release to ask questions,” he stated.
Hon. Bah maintained that MPs have not been audited by CHRDI and that the latter should have carried out professional auditing before coming out with such a damning statement.