Warrap speaker rejects impeachment of finance minister

By Ngor Arol Garang

February 24, 2011 (WAU) – The speaker of the Warrap state Legislative Assembly has said he objects impeachment of the state minister of finance, by members of the State Legislative Assembly.

Out of the 34 who participated in the voting, 27 members voted Thursday in favour of impeaching minister of finance, Majok Bol Kur, over allegations of financial irregularities and inconsistencies in the answers he gave to questions after the presentation of the 2010 state budget report.

In August 2010, three months after conclusion of the April elections, the Warrap State Assembly passed five months budget amounting to 54.3 million Sudanese Pounds, covering August to December 2010. The Assembly said the budget covered salaries, operational cost and capital meaning funds for developmental projects.

Speaking in an interview with Sudan Tribune on Thursday, Deng Mayom, a member of Warrap State Legislative Assembly said they invited the minister of finance through the state governor to brief them on how the five months budget was spent. However the minister has so far declined to appear.

“Through normal parliamentary procedures and in line with the constitution of Warrap State, the assembly summoned the minister of finance through the governor who approved our invitation but he was hesitant to come and brief the assembly. The assembly waited him for about two weeks while showing little interest to come until the pressure mounted on him increased. And when he came, he came with different report not what the members had wanted to hear from him”, explained Mayom.

Mayom said the assembly wanted an evaluation report giving clear details of how the five months budget was spent but the minister came with financial form giving procedures of how the budget is being managed. The assembly rejected the report and told him to go back and bring another report but insisted to present the same report which members disagreed with him because he was presenting wrong report.

“The debate went on indefinitely and when he realized that members were serious, he requested to be given another time with some questions to go and study them. With questions and another time that was granted, he went and came again with the same report for the second time, saying this is only for your information and acknowledgment”.

“The assembly refused and asked him to go and prepare another report again. He went and returned with the same report. So, it was during this third time that the members decided to raise two motions because the minister was presenting wrong report and not ready for another clear and relevant report. And from his report the members realized he made some mistakes which should have been corrected in the second report but insisted”.

Mayom said they realized that the minister awarded some contracts and gave loans to individuals and companies without approval from the assembly which is not allowed by the constitution.

“The members also found out from his report that the minister transferred some funds from one ministry or sector to the other which is not allowed by the Constitution of Warrap”.

“They equally found out that money recovered from downsizing of the civil servants approved by the state assembly was diverted and failed to give proper explanation and on income taxes and sources of funding for renovation and construction. He also failed to answer questions asking pool of the state resources. There were about eight questions raised but the minister failed completely to answer satisfactorily even one of them”, explained Mayom.

“So with wrong report and unwillingness of the minister to cooperate with the members, the assembly initially presided over by the speaker decided to raise two motions. One was the motion to impeach him and another was countering motion. Meaning this was a motion to help him”.

“Honorable Phillip Bol Parek raised the motion impeaching the minister and was unanimously seconded. Honorable Malok Lual raised the countering motion in favor of the minister and was also seconded. The two motions were raised and seconded when the speaker was still presiding debate. However, the same speaker, who allowed members to raise motions and presided over them, decided to terminate the voting and said the session should be adjourned and walked out together with the minister, after realizing that majority voted overwhelmingly against the minister”, said Mayom.

“This was a clear abuse of power and when the members saw it like that, they called on deputy speaker to take over because article 32: 1-3, of our constitutions of Warrap says clearly that, when 2 motions are raised and seconded no other activity should be allowed to interrupt the process.

“That the process must be allowed to take place whatever the case and that the motion which win majority votes becomes decision of the assembly. So, because of this provision, we called upon the deputy speaker to preside over the sitting the speaker terminated when he walked after having allowed two motions to be raised. If he knew there was something wrong with the procedures why did he in the first place allowed the two motions to be raised and seconded”, asked Mayom.

He said out of 34 members who participated in the voting, 27 voted against the minister and 7 abstained and walked out of the assembly supporting the encountering motion in favor of the minister.

But, Madot Dut Deng, the Speaker of Warrap State Legislative Assembly, said Thursday in interview with Sudan Tribune from Kuajok, capital of Warrap State that he rejected the impeachment of the minister, because procedures taken by the members were wrong and accused his deputy of “constitutional rebellion”.

“It was clear constitutional rebellion. I have never seen such practice before. People acted as if they were children. They never followed any legal and constitutional procedures. All procedures taken by the members were wrong. They did not follow correct procedures in line with rules and conduct of business of the Assembly. This was why I reject the impeachment and closed the assembly until further notice”, Deng told Sudan Tribune from Kuajok.

Warrap Assembly accustomed to impeaching officials. Last year the members of legislative assembly impeached the speaker over similar allegations of financial scandal.

(ST)