Misleading MPs on govt finances ‘ought to be a crime’: Wale

Member of Parliament for Aoke/Langalanga Matthew Wale is concerned that Parliament has been misled about the state of the Government’s finances.

In Parliament this morning, Mr Wale said the Ministry of Finance and Treasury might have taken a deliberate policy decision not to inform Parliament of accurate cash information through the Public Accounts Committee.

“As a Member of Parliament, I can categorically state that Parliament has been grossly misled about the state of Government finances for an extended period of time,” he said. “The level of information provided to Parliament from the Ministry of Finance has been deliberately incomplete at the best of times.”

He said it was wrong for the Ministry of Finance and Treasury not to provide Parliament with complete information about Government finances.

“It seems to me that if Government was aware of the true financial situation, it was complicit with the Ministry of Finance in not informing Parliament on a regular and timely basis with complete information,” he said. “This ought to be a crime.”

Mr Wale said there is a need for an independent budget office that could analyse and report to Parliament on the truthfulness of all statements the Government makes that have fiscal implications.

By Gina Maka’a