GENERAL NEWS

Parliamentary Accounts Committee grills South PS over missing K9m vouchers

25/02/2014

LEFT – to RIGHT- Zambia’s Ambassador to US Palan Mulonda with Foreign affairs Permanent Secretary Margaret Miyoba-Bwanga and Foreign minister Wylbur Simuusa September 23,2013 -Picture by EDDIE MWANALEZA

Southern province Permanent Secretary Margaret Miyoba was this morning taken to task by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee over missing payment vouchers amounting to K9 million.

Appearing before the Committee chaired by Chipangali Members of Parliament Vincent Mwale to answer audit queries highlighted in the Auditor General’s report for financial year ending December 2012, Ms Miyoba told the Committee that the relocation of the provincial capital presented challenges in record keeping and management.

Ms Miyoba told the Committee that efforts are being made her administration to locate the missing payment vouchers.

But the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee did not buy the excuse by the Permanent Secretary and her team attributing the missing payment vouchers to the shifting of the provincial capital from Livingstone to Choma.

And the Committee also questioned the logic behind the continued giving of imprest to officers who have in the past failed to retire imprest.

Committee member and Luena Member of Parliament Gertrude Imenda accused the province Accountant of benefiting from giving imprest to officers who have in the past failed to retire imprest.

The Committee heard earlier that K547 million imprest was not retired as at 31st December 2013.