PAN-AFRICAN Parliament (PAP) president Fortune Charumbira has denied allegations that he abused the organisation’s resources saying such claims are malicious and false.
The allegations were made in a report released by the chairperson of the Committee on Audit and Public Accounts (CAPA), Miles Sampa, who claimed that Charumbira brought in a large number of support staff for the PAP March and May sessions, resulting in the exhaustion of its funds.
Acting president Asherbiri Gayo last week called on Charumbira to step down from the organisation’s leadership.
In his rebuttal communiqué seen by NewsDay, Charumbira said it was practically and factually impossible for him to have single-handedly orchestrated the employment of the large number of support staff.
He also accused Sampa of being driven by political motivations and lacking the moral standing to make such accusations.
“It has been drawn to my attention that, during the joint committee meetings being held in South Africa, Burundi and Ethiopia, the chairperson of the Committee on Audit and Public Accounts, Miles Sampa, made malicious and false allegations against me to the effect that PAP funds were exhausted through a convoluted (sic) number of support staff that I allegedly brought in for the March and May sessions.
“A fabricated table was shown to members in support of the trumped-up allegations that purportedly reflected that I brought a total of 254 support staff for the March committee sittings, 241 support staff for the May session and over 40 Zimbabweans at each session.
“I will not delve into the substance of the allegations now as a blow-by-blow factual account will be provided to members in due course which will disabuse all the lies that have been peddled by Miles Sampa with the backing of Gayo.”
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Charumbira argued that it was practically and factually impossible for the him to single-handedly orchestrate the employment of a huge number of support staff on his own.
“Notwithstanding the presence of a bureau and a full-fledged secretariat both of whom have traditionally been active participants in the development of support staff list and often with vested interests in the support staff list and a fiduciary duty to the institution, let alone the MPs themselves.
“To endorse such anomaly where one man can influence such number of support staff, without intervention or objection would then imply that these structures are dysfunctional and have abdicated their responsibilities,” Charumbira said.
He said the CAPA chairperson had no moral standing to table the report to PAP.
Charumbira also questioned Sampa's motives, suggesting that they are part of an attempt to dislodge him from the position of PAP president.
