India Speaker rebuked on spending

mar 18th

and this is mr. supercilious who thundered about the sins of people taking a paltry rs. 20,000.

the marxists are such hypocrites!

how about impeaching herr speaker?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ram

($500/day !! maybe he was on to 'Brinda'/escort services or funding hate groups like FOIL??!!)

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4813182.stm

 

India Speaker rebuked on spending

By Subir Bhaumik BBC News, Calcutta   Mr Chatterjee has not responded to the report yet India's top auditing body has reprimanded the Speaker of parliament for unauthorised expenses during overseas trips nearly 10 years ago. The auditors say Somnath Chatterjee spent thousands of dollars more than his entitlement without submitting valid receipts. As Speaker, Mr Chatterjee has strongly criticised MPs after a string of recent bribery scandals. Despite several attempts, the BBC has been unable to speak to Mr Chatterjee. Apart from room rentals, an expenditure of $1,072 was made towards minibar, bar, laundry and tobacco CAG report The information about Mr Chatterjee's expenses came in a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) which it has emerged was tabled in the West Bengal state assembly in January. It said Mr Chatterjee had drawn large tour advances but not submitted evidence of expenditure during international trips made between 1996 and 1999. Mr Chatterjee, who is an MP of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was then the chairman of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), a post he held until he took over as Speaker of the lower house of parliament in June 2004. 'Minibar' expenses The CAG says that in 1996-97 alone, Mr Chatterjee drew $8,525 above the amount he was entitled to without furnishing evidence of expenditure. For instance, as development corporation chairman, he was entitled to draw $75 per day for his three-day stay in Germany and double that per day for a subsequent nine-day stay in the United States. But Mr Chatterjee actually drew $6,000 for the 12 days at the rate of $500 a day. India's parliament has been rocked by several recent scandals The CAG report added: "Scrutiny of hotel bills of the chairman and managing director of the WBIDC relating to their stay in Israel, Germany, France and the UK from 8 to 22 September 1998 revealed that apart from room rentals, an expenditure of $1,072 was made towards minibar, bar, laundry and tobacco." The CAG report indicates that other WBIDC officials and those heading other similar corporations in West Bengal have also drawn tour advances way above their admissible expense rates and then not submitted evidence of expenditure or returned the money, except in a few cases. From 1996-1999, various officials of eight such West Bengal state-run companies are alleged to have undertaken 74 overseas trips involving an expenditure of 14.4 million rupees ($326,000). The CAG report says that prior approval of the federal department of economic affairs, which is mandatory, was obtained for 63 such tours, involving 11.6 million rupees. "Scrutiny of records of six of these companies revealed that on completion of the tours, none of the officials submitted tour adjustment bills along with hotel receipts/vouchers." The WBIDC was created to attract foreign investment after the ruling Communist government in West Bengal unveiled a new industrial policy in 1994. The BBC has made several calls to Mr Chatterjee's official residence in Delhi but was told he was unwell and could not take calls from media. In December last year, Mr Chatterjee was scathing in his criticism of 10 MPs after they were seen allegedly asking for bribes on Indian television. All 10, and another from the upper house, were expelled after a probe ordered by the Speaker. Mr Chatterjee described it as a "matter of shame for the parliament" and appealed to MPs not to "tarnish" parliament's image.