Leaders are required to acquit funds: MP

National

Kiriwina-Goodenough MP and Forestry Minister Douglas Tomuriesa says mandated leaders are required by law to account for funds they receive from the Government.
He said that yesterday when presenting his electorate’s acquittals of 2013 district support grants (DSGs) to the Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) in Port Moresby.
“As mandated leaders, we are called by law to acquit for the funds we receive,” he said.
“So every year since 2013, we keep records of the development funds we receive for Kiriwina-Goodenough and make sure we acquit all those funds and report back to the Government.”
Tomuriesa said DSGs were like district service improvement programme funds.
“We acquitted the funds and submitted the acquittals but DIRD came back to us and requested for us to do it one more time,” he said.
“When we look at it (the acquittals), we have done it correctly but according to DIRD, they wanted us to do it again and today we are grateful to present the acquittals of 2013 DSG funds we received.” Tomuriesa said the grants helped to bring services to areas where DSIP funds could not assist.
“In Kiriwina-Goodenough, we are very thankful because with the DSGs, we were able to implement projects that DSIP could not get through.
“DSG components are members’ discretion and non-discretion components and we are able to have both returned now.
“If we met the requirements, we would like the department to give us 2014 and 2015 DSGs.”
Secretary for DIRD Paul Sai’i thanked Tomuriesa and his DDA for presenting the acquittals and reiterated that there were guidelines for funding allocated by the Government to districts and provinces.
“Guidelines are empowered by what we call finance instruction and that comes under the Public Finance Management Act to make sure districts and provinces are accountable to the Government of the funds they received. I commend you and your team for  by taking the responsibility to report back on how the funds were used,” Sai’i said.