Government cheques dishonoured by banks

A SERVICE provider in Port Moresby has raised concern that payment cheques issued by Parliament are worthless.
Speaking to The National on the condition of anonymity, he said the cheques were dishonoured by the bank.
He said other service providers had also complained that the banks were dishonouring cheques paid to them by Parliament.
“We have been told that there are no funds to pay us, yet Parliament continues to issue these worthless cheques,” the service provider said.
He said they had to wait for months for the payments, which were worth thousands of kina, only to have the cheques dishonoured by the banks.
He questioned Parliament’s lack of proper financial management and accountability.
“How can a key state institution like Parliament issue worthless cheques to its service providers?
“That is against the law and shows the lack of proper financial management and accountability,” he said.
The service provider called on the Finance Department to investigate the matter, which could be the “tip of the iceberg” to more serious financial problems at Parliament.
He also urged MPs to question the Speaker about Parliament’s financial operations.
Attempts by The National to get a response from Parliament were unsuccessful on Friday.