Public Accounts Committee to question FICAC

The Public Accounts Committee will be writing to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption to give a report on what actions they have taken on the recommendations made in the Auditor General’s reports from 2007 to 2009.

While deliberating on the previous 2007 Public Accounts Committee’s report in a meeting at the Parliament Building, Committee Chairman Biman Prasad highlighted that they will be asking FICAC what it has done as an anti-corruption agency.

The officials of the Finance Ministry and the Auditor General’s Office could not provide some responses on issues raised by the Committee.

About six officials from different government departments will be called before the committee this Thursday to give explanations on recommendations made in the Auditor General’s reports.

These issues raised by the Committee today include why some of the Chinese government grants are only administered by the Prime Minister’s Office, why the Military budget was overspent by $45 million in 2007, why the government is paying Fiji National Provident Fund on the loan they guaranteed to the Fiji Sports Council and whether the $20 million loan taken by the Fijian Affairs Board has been paid.

Meanwhile, the Committee will continue to deliberate and get responses from the Auditor General’s office and the Ministry of Finance officials on the 2007 to 2009 reports tomorrow.

The Public Accounts Committee is expected to present a consolidated report in Parliament in May this year on the 2007 to 2009 Auditor General’s Reports.

The Committee is expected to move to the 2010 to 2013 Auditor General’s reports by the end of the year.