COPAC Swindled
WRITTEN BY NKULULEKO SIBANDA
BULAWAYO — The Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (Copac) has been barred from paying MPs allowances and refunds for the use of their cars amid fears of financial irregularities, it emerged yesterday.
Professor Brian Raftopoulos
Sources said the management committee of the constitution-making process, made up of the negotiators from the three governing parties, MDC-T, Zanu PF and MDC ordered an immediate audit of Copac finances a fortnight ago. It has also emerged that allegations of the irregular payments triggered the suspension of the outreach programme on the new constitution.
According to various sources, some Copac officials including MPs allegedly drew varying amounts of money in unsanctioned allowances and refunds for the use of their cars during the outreach work.
The sources said the MPs would claim re-imbursements for mileage they did not travel.
Officially, the programme was put on hold following disagreements on the choice of rapporteurs to accompany the outreach teams but sources told The Standard it was stopped to pave way for an “intensive structural, administrative and financial audit”.
Some of the issues that have raised eyebrows are the administration of a US$300 000 donation by the South Africa-based Zimbabwe Institute.
The institute, led by Professor Brian Raftopoulos, released the money for the acquisition of various assets including office furniture and to meet expenses during the constitution-making process.
The sources said US$60 000 from that donation had been set aside for allowances and for paying MPs for the use of their cars during the outreach programme.
They said the account had since been frozen by the management committee to allow for an audit.
Copac members had reportedly claimed close to US$400 each for every week the committee held its meetings.
“The management committee believes there is more to it than meets the eye,” said the source.
“That is why they have decided to carry out an audit into the whole exercise.
The management committee, the sources said, is under immense pressure from the principals in the unity government — President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara — to get to the bottom of the matter.
Zanu PF negotiators, Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche, Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma (MDC-T) and Professor Welshman Ncube and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga from MDC make up the committee.
Ncube last week confirmed that Copac had submitted a reported on Tuesday but he could not comment on the allegations of corruption.
“The Tuesday meeting was called specifically to receive a report of the three co-chairpersons on what has been done and what still needs to be done,” he said.
“That report detailed only issues to do with the training that was conducted in Harare for the outreach teams.
“At the moment, there is nothing on the alleged financial irregularities in the process because the report focused on the training of the outreach programme.”
Copac says the outreach programme will resume once its funders release funds.
The Standard
Posted by Sakhile Malaba
on February 1, 2010. Filed under Main Headline.
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