On Tuesday, 28 May 2013, the North West Provincial Legislature’s Standing Committee on Provincial Public Accounts (SCOPA) received e Preliminary report from the Public Protector’s Office on the investigations for the R15 million spent on legal fees by the Department of Finance.
SCOPA requested the Auditor General’s Office, the Public Service Commisioner, Provincial Public Protector’s office and the Hawks to do the investigation after former MEC for Finance, Loiusa Mabe, the current MEC, Paul Sebegoe, and the Acting Head of the Department of Finance, Geo Paul, failed to give the committee a clear account of procurement processes followed in appointing Morake Attorneys, a company that has been paid over R15 million for a disciplinary hearing of the Department of Finance head.
Advocate Rauben Heimer, from the Public Protector’s Office requested the Committee not to make the contents of the report public until it is fanilised and all those involved have been given chance to see it and make inputs.
The report will also include findings of the Auditor General’s Office and the Public Service Commissioner as they were also requested to investigate. The three were investigating the abuse of power and non compliance in the procurement processes. The Hawks are investigating fraud and corruption and they are also updating the Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Hlomane Chauke on their progress.
All stakeholders involved will make inputs to the report before 10 June 2013.
For more information contact:
Namhla
Cell: 079 527 0628
