Regional Integration and International Co-operation ministry has failed to bring its deputy minister Reuben Marumahoko to book for crashing a government vehicle because he is a boss, Parliament was told yesterday.
SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER
Ministry secretary Tadeous Chifamba, who appeared before the Parliament Public Accounts Committee chaired by Makoni West MP Webber Chinyadza, revealed the ministry had not brought the minister before a hearing because he was their boss.
Ministry officials had been called to respond to the 2009 and 2010 audit reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C and AG) that detailed gross anomalies in the management of public finances and assets in the ministry.
“We have set up board of enquiries for junior officers involved in accidents in 2009 and some of them were made to pay back part of the amount or the full amount of the damage of the vehicle,” Chifamba said.
“We have had challenges with board of enquiries for ministers, particularly the deputy minister who had an accident in a Mazda BT50. Nothing has happened yet. The major problem is that since it is a boss involved, we expected action to take place at another level.”
During the proceedings, Finance director Taona Chaparadza answered the legislators rudely prompting MPs to send the whole team away. Asked why the ministry had exceeded fuel allocations, Chaparadza replied: “What is exceeding, because you can exceed forwards or backwards, and there is a circular that there is no fuel limit?”
