How Is The Constitutional Review Commission To Be Financed?

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QUESTION OF THE DAY

This institution requires the support necessary to make them viable. Foroyaa will investigate how much it would take to finance the operation of such institution. According to section 19 of the Constitutional Review Commission Act,

“The funds of the Commission shall consist of –

  • monies appropriated to the Commission by the National Assembly; and
  • donations received from any lawful source approved by the Minister.”

Section 20 of the same Act adds,

“(1) The Secretary shall, after consultation with the Chairperson –

  • not later than two months before or after the commencement of operations of the Commission, prepare and submit to the Minister the budget estimates for the year or part thereof of the operation of the commission;
  • not later than three months before the end of the financial year, prepare and submit to the Minister the budget estimates of the Commission for the ensuing year;
  • in respect of each financial year, prepare a statement of accounts of the Commission; and
  • within three months after the end of financial year, prepare and submit the Commission’s statement of accounts to the Auditor General for audit.

(2) The Minister shall as soon as practicable after the receipt of the Commission’s budget estimates under subsection (1) (a) or (b) transmit the budget estimates to the Minister responsible for finance for his consideration and approval.

(3) The Minister may not alter the budget estimates of the Commission but he or she may, if he or she considers it necessary, make comments on the whole or any specific aspect of the budget estimates and make such comments available to the Minister responsible for finance at the same time that the Minister transmits the Commission budget estimates.

(4) The Secretary shall keep proper records and books of account of the Commission’s income and expenditure.

(5) The audited accounts of the Commission and the Auditor General’s report on those accounts shall form part of the Auditor General’s overall annual report to the National Assembly.”

Without adequate finance the work of the Commission would be stalled.