By STELLA SIMUTOWE –
THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday sent away the Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba for submitting his report late.
Mr Yamba was scheduled to appear before the PAC to submit responses to queries raised by the Auditor General’s Report of 2014 over various operations of the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA).
When Mr Yamba and his team appeared before the committee, PAC chairperson Gertrude Imenda told them to go back because they submitted their response late.
Ms Imenda said the committee members did not have chance to go through the submissions because they were submitted late.
The submissions were sent to the members on Saturday.
Ms Imenda told Mr Yamba and his delegation that they would be called back during the week to give an oral report.
“Because of the late submission, the Committee will sit and study your report and then discuss. We will call you back,” Ms Imenda said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Higher Education has said that there was progress in the construction of King Lewanika University in Mongu, which started last year.
Higher Education Permanent Secretary Owen Mgemezulu said this when he appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances.
Mr Mgemezulu said the ministry and Datong Construction Limited, the contractor awarded the contract, agreed on a sum of about K289 million.
The project started in November, 2015 and would be completed in three years.
Mr Mgemezulu said the project could not start as earlier announced because the ministry and the contractor had to renegotiate some aspects of the project and that those working on the project delayed making submissions to the ministry.
“Renegotiations with the contractor, were protracted as they involved major scaling down of works to align it to the Government expenditure plan for the university,” he said.