By A Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration has pushed through a new bill that authorises the blowing up of huge amounts of money of up to 10 billion dollars by ministries without permission.
The development, which his predecessor the late former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe also implemented through the 2014 Financial Adjustments Bill, condones government’s unauthorised expenditure.
The recent move however could be an attempt to cover-up the leaking of USD5,9 billion within 5 months of Mugabe’s removal from power.
Details of the Financial Adjustments Bill were revealed in the below memo (bottom of article).
The Tendai Biti led parliamentary portfolio on Public Accounts has found that USD5,9 billion was blown soon after Mugabe’s removal, the memo reveals more harrowing unauthorised expenditure.
The memo is itself an announcement government officials blew a total USD8 billion by the end of year 2018.
The latest public reading indicates that the bill has already been pushed through and Mthuli Ncube is simply making an announcement of latest developments.
Commenting on the development, MDC Secretary General Chalton Hwende said, “we are doomed with these fellas!”
Meanwhile the memo reads in full:
FINANCIAL ADJUSTMENTS BILL, 2019
MEMORANDUM
If a Government Ministry or Department spends money in any financial year in excess of the amount appropriated, or for a purpose for which nothing was appropriated, the Minister of Finance is required in terms of section 307 of the Constitution to cause a Bill condoning the unauthorised expenditure to be introduced in the National Assembly seeking condonation of the unauthorised expenditure, no later than sixty days after the extent of the unauthorised expenditure has been established.
In line with the above, we seek condonation for unauthorised expenditure incurred by Line Ministries of US$25,305,741 (twenty-five million three hundred and five thousand and seven hundred and forty-one dollars) for year ended 2015, US$1,530,890,050 (one billion five hundred and thirty million eight hundred and ninety thousand and fifty dollars) for year ended 2016, US$4,562,064,123 (four billion five hundred and sixty-two million and sixty four thousand one hundred and twenty-three dollars) for year ended 2017, US$3,560,343,130 (three billion five hundred and sixty million three hundred and forty-three thousand one hundred and thirty dollars) for year ended 2018