Torit MPs summon finance minister over state expenditure

Members of Parliament of Torit State Assembly have summoned the state finance minister to appear before the house next Monday to answer questions on the expenditure of state revenue.

Members of Parliament of Torit State Assembly have summoned the state finance minister to appear before the house next Monday to answer questions on the expenditure of state revenue.

The MPs on Monday summoned the minister to appear on Wednesday but then postponed the summons further to next week.

The summons came after the Finance Minister John Ochan Bongomin on Monday told the house that there was no money to fund a recess package for the MPs including transport and hospitality allowances while on recess. He asked the MPs to only expect hospitality allowances.

However, the parliamentarians who were not convinced demanded answers to how revenue from lumbering and airstrip taxes is being used.

The MPs complained that without transport allowances they cannot be able to disseminate the revitalized peace agreement to the people in their constituencies.

They also demanded a complete state expenditure report for the last six months from the finance minister.

According to the Emolument Act, every MP is entitled to 60,000 South Sudanese Pounds for transport and hospitality allowances during each recess.