Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Minister of Finance defended yesterday, at the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI), that if there is evidence that could constitute a crime, in the reports of tourism and environment funds, they must be reported to the competent authorities.
Olavo Correia expressed this position when interviewed about the Management of the Social Sustainability Fund for Tourism and the Environment Fund, remembering that they are public funds and all those who intervene in their management must be scrutinized.
He clarified, however, that in 2016 there was a new approach to fund management, with a multi-year investment perspective, allowing fund growth, giving more power to municipalities and more resources, in order to increase the investment portfolio.
“We strengthened control at the level of permanent inspection and we ran the risk of publishing the reports, but it was an agreed risk (…), so as a result of the report it was found that there are aspects that should be improved and I think that this is a good thing. recognized,” he stated.
The auditee also added that the governance framework was also changed in 2016, with the creation of a board of directors, appointment of an executive director for the two funds and the reinforcement of the entire control system, however he says it is obvious that, in In practice, they were able to verify deviations from what they had predicted.
The Minister of Business Development and Minister of Digital Economy stressed, however, that the recommendations made must be implemented so that excellence can be achieved in terms of the management of tourism and environmental funds.
He also agreed that it is important that “deviations” are detected so that what can be improved can be improved and, if there are situations that could be considered a crime, these facts must be reported to the competent authorities, so that there can be a judgment, with the aim of placing the function the system.
“We cannot be judging before the judgment of the competent authorities (..), the inspector has the freedom to carry out the inspection and conclude based on facts and evidence and also based on his own conscience, and then we have the other instances that They will judge after the contradiction, and if everything works we all win”, stressed Olavo Correia.
According to the governor, it is important that municipal councils have the autonomy to execute projects within the framework of the law in force without reporting in terms of control to a fund, that is, he says that they should not be subject to the permanent control of an entity government, however, they must report to the court of accounts, and in cases that may “constitute a crime” they must be reported to the competent authorities.
The consultation of national entities on the Management of the Social Sustainability Fund for Tourism and the Environment Fund ended this Wednesday and the reports will be forwarded to the control bodies and in view of the results that will be released, people will be held responsible, if any. responsibility.
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