Transparency demands firm action on PAC report

The anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency Rwanda, has protested what it calls slow progress in recovering stolen public funds as indicated in the Auditor General’s annual reports.Marie Immaculee Ingabire, the Chairperson of Transparency Rwanda, told The New Times, in an exclusive interview, that in spite of several investigations carried out, there was no evidence of how much money had been recovered. Her comments come hot on the heels of a report by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which was tabled Tuesday regarding the loss of Rwf 9.7 billion highlighted in the 2009/2010 Auditor General’s report.Among the causes of the massive losses were lack of timely reporting on the status of public funds, mismanagement of public assets and hidden bank accounts, stated PAC chairperson, Juvenal. “We have always requested that all those named in the Auditor General’s report should not only to be sacked or arrested, but also made to refund the monies they stole or which went missing as a result of their negligence,” said Ingabire. “It’s sad that the AG releases a report every year but we are yet to see tangible results, and the same issues keep appearing every year”. However, the spokesman for the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA), Alain Mukuralinda, said that 69 vital documents, which were missing in the 2007 and 2008 reports, had been recovered.“The AG, during the two years’ audit, did not find these documents, but when we carried out investigations, we managed to locate them,” said Mukuralinda.He added that they were also faced with challenges of a limited workforce to investigate the cases and hand in their reports on time.Currently, he noted, the Authority have less than 10 people working on corruption cases. He said that between 2007 and 2009, they had recovered Rwf 51.3 million, with Rwf 32.3 million being fines levied on officials for failing to account for the missing funds.“But all I can tell you, is that all cases will be investigated and those responsible for the losses will face justice accordingly,” said Mukuralinda.The AG’s reports for the period 2007 to 2009 show that Rwf 2.8 billion is yet to be accounted for. In December last year, NPPA released a report which showed that 145 individuals were prosecuted on charges of corruption.Speaking on the same matter, Judiciary spokesman Charles Kaliwabo, said economic crimes are given priority in the cause list.“Economic crimes are given trial priorities; we handle all economic crimes that are brought before us, be it a senior or junior officials,” said Kaliwabo.Ingabire, however, challenged the prosecution, the Ministry of Finance and the Procurement Authority to recover the public funds. “I have emphasised this and I still do; these people who were implicated should repay the funds they stole, if found guilty. We have requested for this for years now and we will not tire; we will continue to push concerned institutions to pursue these people to recover the state funds,” said Ingabire.“We requested prosecution to always conduct timely investigations basing on the AG’s report and that’s our part as civil society. Concerned institutions such as the prosecution should pursue such people”.