By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
The K125 million budget for the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) will be reviewed by the NCDC Board today.
The budget, which was “rushed” to the Treasury Ministry before the 2007 financial year ended, has been sent back to the NCDC Board to reconsider and approve.
The review is taking place amidst allegations that there was no NCDC Board meeting to approve the budget before it was sent to Treasury.
Sources told The National that the budget document was taken to some board members to sign last weekend during unofficial hours and not during a properly sanctioned board meeting.
It was claimed that such a practice was in breach of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Government and Public Finance Management Act.
When contacted about this, Governor Powes Parkop said the full board failed to meet despite a circular he sent out.
He said he managed to get eight members to sign the budget documents on Dec 27.
“That meeting was crucial as we were late. We had to endorse the budget because it has to reach the Finance, Treasury and Inter Government ministers before the new year,” Mr Parkop said.
“And if we do not hand the budget documents to the ministers before the New Year, then it will be difficult to get the funds from the National Government.
“It was difficult to have a full board meeting. Since I got elected, we only had two full board meeting between last July and December.
“Since timing was against us, we had to pass the circular resolution to all the members to sign. And out of the 11 members, only two did not sign it.
“But we will have a full board meeting today to have the budget reviewed.”