By Landing Colley
National Assembly select committee on Finance and Public Account Committee (F/PAC) report revealed that GMD36, million has been cut from both the office of the president’s and vice-president offices from the estimate budget 2021.
Presenting the report before the August Assembly on Wednesday, Alhagie Mbow member for Upper Saloum and the committee said last year they recommended GMD691, 263, 000 for the office of the president and 2021 estimate was GMD663, 299,000.
However, he said the committee cut GMD21, 000,000 and recommended GMD928, 299, 315, stressing that “we need to take into consideration that there are many offices under the office of the president.”
He added: “The office of the vice president we give them the knife to cut GMD15, 000,000 which they have comply and in total, we cut GMD36, 000,000 from the office of the president which including the office of the vice-president.”
The National Assembly
Mbow revealed that the committee approved GMD8, 000,000 last year for the National Assembly, while they submitted GMD14, 000,000 for the year 2021.
“On training, last year we approved GMD 3, 500, 000 and the submission is still the same and on committee expenses, we approved GMD 33, 500,000 last year and this year submission still the same figure. Maintenance of building the committee recommended GMD15, 000,000 while GMD9, 500, 000 for special incentive allowance,” he pointed out.
Ministry of Finance
Mbow also observed that the budget for last year was GMD978, 536,000 and the budget estimate for 2021 was GMD1, 031, 297, 461.
“We cut (GMD 47, 825, 000) forty-seven million eight hundred and twenty-five thousand and we have given them information to update the estimate budget as the committee recommended D983, 472, 461,” he said.
The Judiciary
According to him, National Assembly approved GMD 170,000,000 for last year for the Judiciary and this year they requesting for GMD261, 871,775 in the estimate budget, revealing that they also agreed to reduce their budget by GMD8, 000,000.
Independent Electoral Commission
“Last year the National Assembly approved 52,000,000 and this year they are requesting for GMD581, 150,402 as they indicate reason for the increase but during our meeting, we asked them to revise their budget and when they came back the committee was able to cut D267, 000, 000 from their budget,” he disclosed.
Audit Office
Mbow stated that the national audit office was approved GMD112, 000,001 last year by the National Assembly and they requested GMD208, 168,870 in 2021 estimate budget.
“During our discussion with audit officials we requested for the budget to be reduced by GMD80,000,000 which they agreed as they know the economic situation of the country and initially we recommended GMD128, 168,870 .we have not cut any particular area we asked them to do the cutting themselves,” he said.