PAP Monetary and Financial Affairs Committee

Hailu Teklehaimanot—The Pan African Parliament (PAP) today started its discussion of financial matters as per the house’s decision to give priority to the matter following a motion brought by Hon. Boudina, MP from Algeria.

The PAP and its membership had been caught in speculation of a crisis, misappropriation of funds and mismanagement after the decision of the Accra African Union Summit. Thus, the report of the financial committee has been awaited eagerly by all Members.

The House opened up its session by hearing the report from the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs, read by Hon. John Temple, Acting Chairperson of the Committee, which met from Oct 16 – 22, on decisions and declarations of African Union (AU) Summit relating to the PAP.

The Committee found that the Bureau violated the PAP Rules of Procedure and budgets passed by the Plenary in decisions it made on its meeting of June 18 regarding cessation of allowances made to Members and variation of Sessions per year. The Committee also agreed that financial procedures of PAP, for both MPs and staff, must comply with the Financial Rules and Regulations of the AU.

Regarding the first recommendations of the Permanent Representatives Council (PRC) to the Executive Council which state that the PAP as an organ of the AU should be answerable to the body that created it, the Committee agreed fully with the PRC as long as the decision takes into account articles of the PAP Protocol and articles of the Financial Rules and Regulations of the AU which provide flexibility to the PAP on these matters.

The Committee also agreed with the second and third recommendations of the PRC that said the PAP should respect the AU Financial Rules and Regulations, Staff Rules and Regulations as well as relevant decisions of the Executive Council and to refrain from making its own rules and also respect its internal Rules of Procedure relevant to the Executive Council’s decisions as promised in January. The Committee in this case also stated these recommendations of the PRC should take into account articles of the PAP and the AU which provide the PAP flexibilities on these matters.

Regarding the fourth and fifth recommendations of the PRC, the Committee agreed to stop with immediate effect all violations of the EX.CL/ Dec. 98(V) which states that Member States bear the expense for participation of PAP including the Members of the Bureau, that Members of the Bureau must not reside at headquarters during the first 5 years of its existence, among others. The Committee, however, said that it doesn’t agree with the recommendations that all monies paid in allowances of all form used for Plenary Sessions and Committee meetings be refunded as some Members of the Parliament have passed away and some are no longer Members. As to allowances paid for communication and responsibilities for the Bureau and Bureaux of Committees, the Committee stressed that they were properly budgeted for and approved by the Plenary and by the AU Summit up to 2006. It further stated that any decision made to refund these monies would undermine the decisions of both the Plenary and the AU Summit.

The Committee also said that it does not agree with the PRC recommendation to freeze the PAP Trust Fund and that the PAP returns the $375,000 used to start the fund to its coffers. According to the Committee, the PAP Trust Fund was instituted by a Resolution of the Plenary in November 2005 after it was deliberated by the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs. The report also recalled that the funds to start the Fund were budgeted for in the budget of 2006 and approved by the Plenary and the AU Summit. Further, the report recalled that the President of the PAP has briefed both the AU Commission and the AU Summit on the PAP Trust Fund.

On the final recommendation of the PRC which state that the Clerk of the Parliament should be protected, the report by the Committee said that it is not sure on what information that decision is based on.

The Committee, after its assessment to the position of the PRC, said that although it agrees with the decision made by the Executive Council in principle, it noted that the decisions were arrived at based on a report by the PRC in which the Committee had no input or contribution on the deliberations of the Sub-Committee or the main Committee of the PRC team.

In conclusion, the report by the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs stated that there is no financial crisis in PAP as had been circulated since the Accra Summit. While admitting violation of the Executive Council’s Decision 98 on the Financial Rules and Regulations of the AU, the Committee felt that issues have been brought to the attention of the PAP by the report of the AU Board of External Auditors. It further stated that the Committee will follow up and ensure full compliance of decisions taking the PAP Protocol and Rules of Procedure into account.

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