Government criticised for MVR 5.8 billion spend without approval
Villimale MP Ahmed Usham echoed similar concerns.
By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
Parliament speaker Mohamed Nasheed said on Tuesday that the government is trying to spend MVR 5.8 billion beyond the budget approved by the parliament for the year without the approval of the parliament.
Finance minister Ibrahim Ameer presented a supplementary budget to the parliament on Monday as MVR 5.8 billion is expected to be spent beyond the approved budget for this year. Presenting a supplementary budget along with the next year's budget, he said the government's expenditure or total budget for the year will be MVR 42.8 billion. Parliament approved a budget of MVR 36.9 billion for the year.
Speaking at the beginning of Tuesday's parliamentary session, Nasheed said that with only two months left in the year, he did not believe that an additional MVR 5.8 billion would be spent this year. Nasheed also questioned the extent to which the state has already spent from the recommended MVR 5.8 billion without parliament approval, as a supplementary budget had to be presented a month before it was to be allocated.
The speaker said:
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Article 96(c) of the Constitution states that expenditure shall not be increased beyond what has been approved by parliament unless it is approved by parliament
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Section 32(b) of the Public Finance Act states that if a request is made for parliament to approve an additional amount of money for the budget or a supplementary budget, it shall be prepared as specified in the article and presented to parliament one month prior to the date of requirement
"So, I don't even know how much of that additional amount has been spent so far without being presented or passed in this parliament. I think this is a problem," Nasheed said.
He said that if bills and cases filed by the government in parliament do not fall within the legal framework, "the chances of losses will increase."
"When the law has laid down specific procedures for such state expenditure, the ministers feel that they can sway parliamentary decisions with the pro-government majority within the parliament. That, I think, is an insult to our democracy as well as to the dignity of our parliament," he said.
Villimale MP Ahmed Usham echoed similar concerns. In a series of tweets yesterday, he too had said that the government was spending illegally and that a budget is presented and passed in the parliament by "name" only.
The finance ministry said it had to present a supplementary budget:
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Due to the high cost of fuel subsidies
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Increase in cost of projects
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Salary hike for teachers
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Allocation of funds as capital to HDC
Finance minister Ameer had earlier announced that the salaries of teachers would be increased by 56%, and had declared that MVR 325.8 million would be spent more from this year's budget. While a supplementary budget was presented in the wake of a major change in the pay structure, parliament's approval was not sought when the pay revision was made.
