Twelve MPs have so far been fingered as having abused the funds that were meant to effect development initiatives in urban and rural constituencies. Each MP got $50 000, but the use of funds has been questioned and the government criticised for not setting stricter parameters.
Use of the funds was at the discretion of the MPs and The Zimbabwean has names of MPs who are alleged to have bought luxury vehicles at the expense of their constituencies.
Some MPs who have been accompanied to constituencies by the auditors, and who asked not to be named, said that if anyone is found to have abused the funds then the law should take its course.
“Last week the auditors were in my constituency and they were comparing the papers we submitted and the projects that were effected,” said the MP.
With the final cut off day for submissions on December 31, it is still unknown as to what the government will do with legislators who fail to account for the funds.
The Ministry of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs has warned that guilty parties will be prosecuted. Sources in the ministry said that MPs who fail to account for the money are not going to receive this year’s allocation of $60 000 per constituency.
Post published in: News