Treasury Perm Sec In No Show As Parliament Seeks Answers Over Mishandled US$400 Million

FINANCE Ministry Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga was again a no-show on Monday when he was expected to appear before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and explain the gross mismanagement of public funds amounting to US$400 million unearthed by the Auditor General’s report.

PAC has been making efforts to interrogate Treasury officials over the Auditor General’s findings that the Finance Ministry flouted standard Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) procedures and made payments directly to suppliers, bypassing line ministries and agencies.

Guvamatanga is said to have written to Parliament requesting more time to compile documents required by the Committee relating to payments amounting to US$400 million made to several companies, which include Fertilisers Seed Grain (FSG),  Ziminya Dam Construction, Ventures Borehole & Exploration, Nyika Kanengoni, Semwa Dam, Makomo Engineering and RenForm CC, which is linked to controversial tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo.

The hearing on the running of affairs at the Treasury and the AG’s findings was postponed to Friday, 23 May, to allow Minister Mthuli Ncube and his permanent secretary to put their house in order, avail themselves and give oral evidence.
If Guvamatanga does not show up again, PAC has warned it will issue a summons through the Clerk of Parliament.

“The Ministry will now appear before the Committee on Friday, 23 May at 1000hrs.
“We have resolved as a Committee that the Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary (George Guvamatanga) need to appear on Friday and we also resolved last week that the Minister (Mthuli Ncube) must also come because there are policy issues that he must also come and attend to,” PAC chairperson Charlton Hwende said.

He added, “Regarding the non-shows, it affects only the permanent secretary (Guvamatanga) because we will be inviting the minister for the first time, so that he can come and address the policy issues that we want him to address.

“The permanent secretary must also appear with his team together with the minister on Friday, at 10 o’clock in the morning and failing to appear, we resolved that the Clerk of Parliament must issue summons in terms of Standing Orders that same Friday.
“We give them a very final chance to appear on Friday, and we are preparing summons through the office of the Clerk of Parliament, and if they don’t come, summons are issued immediately on that Friday.”

The Finance Ministry is also expected by PAC to answer questions relating to its failure to submit treasury minutes to Parliament. *newzw*