ARTICLE - WORKING SESSION - FINANCE

HAITI HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES WORKING SESSIONS WITH PM AND MINISTERS
(Defend Haiti) -

PORT-AU-PRINCE – The House Finance and Economy Committee expects to hold a working meeting with Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and his Minister of Finance next week to go over the 2012-13 budget recently submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, and to obtain answers on ministry spending, or the lack thereof, of funds that were allocated for projects but not spent in the past year.

"We are awaiting a very formal meeting in advance with the prime minister, the minister of economy and finance, and planning, mainly because colleagues have an uneasiness in regards to the budget that was voted, where there was 10 million HTG ($240,000 [US]) put into effect for each commune, and the colleagues say they must know how the disbursements will be done, and when... before they can begin their work." - Antoine Rodon Bien-Aime, Deputy, Chairman House Economy and Finance Committee

The Chairman of the House Economy and Finance Committee, Antoine Rodon Bien-Aime (Carvajal/Inite) said that invitations were sent to the prime minister and other ministers in question to attend the working meeting set for Tuesday, July 10.

Deputy Bien-Aime also mentioned that on Wednesday his committee would be meeting with the political parties, on Thursday with members of civil society, and on Friday with women's organizations, representatives of the state university system and human rights organizations.

The Finance Chairman for the Chamber Deputies announced that on the 17th of July his committee intends to receive every minister of the government.

"Starting on the 17th that is approaching, we will begin to receive every minister seperatly so that they can come tell us what they did with the budget they had in their hands."

"What results do we have? How were the disbursements made? What was disbursed already?..."

"Although I hear of some ministers that have not even disbursed money that they had, and they were given more money on top of that."

"Though the government is in the habit of deciding whether it will raise the money for them [the ministers], it is us who has the power to tell them if they can spend it."

"So we will check if these ministers merit the money. If they do not merit it we will remove the money and put it in ministries that we estimate are getting results and doing their work. If they merit it, we must give it to them." - Antoine Rodon Bien-Aime, Deputy