THE Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT) has reaffirmed that a total of $12.85-Million worth of discretionary funding has been paid to 43 Members of Parliament so far this year and that the recipients are legitimately entitled to the payment under the payment under the Parliamentary Entitlements Regulation (PER).

The reaffirmation follows a brief statement issued by the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Robson Djokovic to refute yesterday’s Island Sun front-page article by Mr Alfred Sasako.

Mr Sasako wrongly implied in the article that 38 Members of Parliament have unlawfully shared $11.4-Million in discretionary funding amongst themselves.

MOFT Deputy Accountant General, Ms Merrylyn Kodoleke said the fact of the matter is that the $12.85-Million is a discretionary payment to 43 members of Parliament and that it is legitimate.

“The $12.85-Million discretionary payment is a legitimate payment which the 43 recipient MPs are duly entitled to under the Parliamentary Entitlements Regulation. Each of the 43 MP receives an allocation of $300,000.00 from the $12.85-Million. The payment comes under the National Parliament Office Head.

“As such, it is simply incorrect and misleading for Mr Sasako to imply that the payment is unlawful and that the Treasury does not know where the money came from. Of course, the payment is legitimate and the Treasury knows the source.”

Ms Kodoleke said being a discretionary payment, each of the 43 recipients have the discretion to decide how they will use their allocation and must inform MOFT accordingly before they allocations can be released.

She said some MPs have decided to use their discretionary funding allocations for Constituency scholarship awards besides their MP Scholarships Award Grant and they have the right to do so.

Ms Kodoleke said the remaining seven MPs will receive their discretionary payment in due course.

However, in response Mr Sasako said as the author of the articles, I stand by my story.

He said in doing so, he had never said in any of the stories on this matter that the payment was unlawful.

“Unlawful is the Press Secretary’s own creation. I doubt she understood what it meant,” he added.

–OPMC PRESS