ARTICLE - PARLIAMENTARIANS IMPLICATED

11 CURRENT PARLIAMENTARIANS IMPLICATED IN THE MISUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS
(Defend Haiti) -

PORT-AU-PRINCE - In a report from the National Network for the Defense of Human rights (RNDDH), 11 deputies and 10 former members of the 48th Legislature have been accused of malfeasance .

The RNDDH reported that these Members of Parliament (MPs) were engaged as consultants to the Ministry of Interior and Local Authorities since October 1st 2010, the opening day of the fiscal year, in which they collected unwarranted funds. The human rights organization is calling for an end to waste and cronyism in government. The parliamentaries were noted by RNDDH as former members of the Coordination of Progressive Parliamentarians (CPP), who gave as their task to fight against corruption across the country.

"They all received a monthly salary estimated at one hundred thousand (100,000) gourds, with the exception of Rep. Richard Paul OLIVAR who received a salary of forty thousand two hundred fifty (40,250) gourds," said RNDDH, calling for an end to waste in government. The whole group showed up in the recent elections under the banner of the platform of the former President, René Préval and Senator Joseph Lambert. Twelve of them were re-elected.

The 22 consultants engaged by the Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT) are all members of the Platform Inite, the ruling party at the time. While these members were on the campaign trail, they were hired to provide services in various sectors within that department.

Offended and bruised, these MPs who now admit to having had MICT emoluments, promised to bring an action against the organization of human rights for libel.

The parliamentarians, Cavajal Pali, Rodon Antoine Bien-Aime, assert that the contract was terminated since they took office on April 25, while according to RNDDH, the deputies and senators continued to receive their salaries until June of this year.

The RNDDH calls the specialized agencies to engage in financial investigations, such as the Control Unit against Corruption (ULCC), the Central Financial Intelligence Unit (UCREF), Superior Court Accounts and Administrative Disputes (CSC / CA) and the General Inspectorate of Finance, to conduct investigations on these cases of corruption.

The Director of ULCC, Amos Durosier, was contacted by Le Matin, and did not comment because his institution is preparing an investigative report and he will comment afterwards.

RNDDH promises to continue working on the case, since other members are also involved in other ministries as consultants. Although MPs are very outraged by this report, they promised to investigate the sources of funding.