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The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, issued a stern warning to M.A. Ruming regarding the payment of an outstanding debt of Le3 billion owed to machinery operators for their services under the Regional Rice Value-Chain Project (RRVCP) and the Family Support and Recovery Programme (FSRP).
The agreements for the RRVCP and FSRP stipulated that deductions would be made from payments to machinery operators to cover dues owed to the government.
However, a recent audit revealed that the total debt to the government amounted to a staggering Le19 billion. Hon. Tawa has accused M.A. Ruming of being less than transparent in handling these funds and payment matters.
During a meeting in the Administrative Conference Room, the committee decided to deduct 70% of the funds owed to machinery operators to recoup the outstanding dues owed to the government. It was discovered that Ruming had employed two machinery operators and submitted a payment schedule to the committee. However, after receiving payments for the services rendered, Ruming allegedly failed to disburse the funds to the operators as promised.
Hon. Tawa has taken proactive measures to address this issue by instructing the bank to refund the money owed to the machinery operators. He witnessed Ruming at the Rokel Commercial Bank (RCB) and used the opportunity to engage with the bank’s Managing Director, urging them to take action and prevent the transfer of the disputed funds.
Despite Ruming’s apparent reluctance to comply with the committee’s directives, Hon. Tawa emphasized that the committee possesses the authority under Section 93 of Parliament to enforce compliance with its decisions. Just a few days prior, Hon. Tawa had an informal meeting with Ruming at a restaurant to discuss the ongoing payment issues, but unfortunately, no agreement was reached to resolve the matter.
In light of the ongoing challenges, Hon. Tawa has indicated his intention to escalate the issue further. He plans to formally order the Managing Director of the bank to redirect the funds to a consolidated account to ensure that the machinery operators receive the payments owed to them. This situation not only highlights the struggles within the projects at hand but also raises serious concerns about the management of government funds and the treatment of taxpayers’ money.
Hon. Tawa criticized the current practices as indicative of poor governance and a lack of accountability, urging for a more responsible approach to financial management. The need for transparency and efficiency in handling public funds is paramount, and Hon. Tawa is committed to ensuring that proper protocols are followed to uphold the integrity of the system.
