Parliament’s chief finance officer Harry Charleton has been suspended with immediate effect pending an inquiry.
Charleton was suspended by secretary to Parliament Zingile Dingani last Friday ”due to serious allegations that have been levelled against him”, Parliament’s chief operating officer Tango Lamani confirmed on Thursday.
Institutional support division manager Lionel Klassen had been appointed acting chief finance officer until further notice, Lamani said.
Klassen was finance and administration manager when irregularities regarding MPs’ travel vouchers came to light in 1998, sparking the R17-million so-called ”Travelgate” scandal.
Charleton was appointed earlier this year to revamp Parliament’s financial management systems, which were understood to be in a sorry state.
Dingani was out of town on Thursday and not available for further comment.
However, according to the Cape Times newspaper, Parliament would ”release the date of the disciplinary hearing when it was available”.
Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance Chief Whip Douglas Gibson said he had written to Dingani on Thursday asking him to take the public into his confidence and explain the nature of the allegations against Charlton.
”Parliament is funded by the taxpayer to represent the interests of the people. The people therefore have the right to know what is being done with their money and how it is being used or misused.
”Travelgate has tested the public’s patience for long enough. People want to know what is going on and exactly who is involved.
”I have every confidence in Harry Charlton and believe that he served Parliament faithfully and well.
”He, above all others, sought to ensure that the Travelgate scandal was not covered up. I suspect that he is paying the price for it,” Gibson said. – Sapa