OC lifts restriction on public funds

THE Ombudsman Commission (OC) has lifted a pre-election restriction on the disbursement and use of public funds issued on May 12.
Chief Ombudsman Richard Pagen lifted the terms of the direction which was issued on same day the writs for the General Election 2022 were issued.
Pagen said yesterday that the decision was taken as the majority of the seats had been declared resulting in the first Parliament sitting after GE22.
He said the direction had been put in place in line with the leadership code and the organic law on the duties and responsibilities of leadership to implement the national goals and directive principles by safeguarding the national wealth.
“The purpose of the direction was to protect the release, disbursement, transfer and receipt of public money purporting to be in the form of services improvement programme funds and electoral and discretionary funds and various development funds under provincial support grants and district support grants, Covid-19 Pandemic funds, and that these funds will not be released unless clearance has been sought from the OC,” Pagen said.
“The direction is to ensure that public funds are used for the purpose they are allocated for.”
He added that the lifting of the direction also applied to all constitutional offices, statutory authorities and state owned enterprises and national departments, provincial departments and all provincial and district business arms.