By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
President Julius Maada Bio has rejected the controversial 2020 Finance Act that was passed by Parliament last week which provoked a huge public outcry.
The Act contained provisions that would have given the President, Vice President and Speaker of Parliament carte blanche in spending tax payers’ money given to them as per diem for international travels. They would have been under no obligation to explain to the public how such money was spent.
Accountability campaigners and other citizens strongly criticized parliament for the move, with some calling on the President not to sign it.
A statement from the presidency on Tuesday said having looked at the piece of legislation, President Bio expressed concerns that it went against his agenda for greater transparency in governance.
“The President has perused the document and has expressed grave concern over the open-endedness of the 'non-accountable imprest', as provided for in the said Act. He is of the view that this is prone to improper use of public funds," the statement signed by the Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman, Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, read.
“The President has an unwavering commitment to democratic accountability, transparent governance and prudent management of public funds,” it added.
The decision will come as an embarrassment to parliament, whose leadership from both sides of the aisle added the provision and clamored for support in pushing it through.
A ruling party lawmaker, Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, was the only Member of Parliament who spoke against the Bill openly when it was been debated. And his posture has led to him almost falling out with his party.
The issue was the cause of an embarrassing public spat between Tawa and the Clerk of Parliament last week which led to insinuations of corruptions in the House. The two men made unsubstantiated claims on live radio discussions, sparking a public campaign for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate the House.
Conteh accused the Clerk of the house, Paran Umar Tarawally of corruption. And Tarawally also returned fire by alleging that the House administration had been giving constituency development funds to Members of Parliament, which he appeared to accuse the lawmaker of misusing.
The two men were supposed to appear in front of investigators at the ACC on Monday.
Patrick Sandy, Director of Public Education and Outreach at the anti-graft agency, told Politico on Tuesday that investigation had started the moment the men were invited.
“They came yesterday, and we took statements from them. The fact that we invited them is the start of the investigation,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to the State House release, President Bio has proposed that a ‘ceiling’ be placed on how much he can take as imprest as an alternative to the ‘non-accountable imprest’.
However, in the views of some critics, the President’s new proposal still stops shot of total accountability for what he receives and spends during his oversea trips.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Speaker of Parliament, Dr Abbass Bundu, told Parliament that the section would be reviewed and was expected to be passed before the house goes for recess. The date for recess hasn’t been announced, but it is expected by mid-December.
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