Depts directed to issue authority to pre-commit funds

FINANCE and Treasury department heads have been directed to ensure that the authority to pre-commit (APC) funds is issued for the Commission of Inquiry into he Union Bank of Switzerland loan deal.
COI chairman Sir Salamo Injia expressed disappointment that the APC had not been issued since last year.
“Last year I recall issuing two instructions to the secretary for Finance Dr Ken Ngangan and Treasury secretary Dairi Vele instructing them to issue that APC,” Sir Salamo said.
He said the progress of the COI was quite slow and he was concerned especially with the contract to engage solicitors from Australia.
National Procurement Commission acting chief executive officer Simon Bole had written to Ngangan and Vele to fast-track the APC for funding.
Sir Salamo said the Commission of Inquiry was likely to have problems in terms of time if the contract to engage the solicitors was not approved and signed off by the National Executive Council. He said the full inquiry of the commission was scheduled to commence in April.
The commission will sit in April to receive evidence from witnesses in relation to part one and two of the inquiry.
He explained that part one is the historical information concerning the political and economic situation in the country.