Economist: Government revenues are spent outside the law

Economist Dr. Youssef Saeed said that directors of government revenue institutions, facilities, bodies and companies in the capital, Aden, and areas under the control of the legitimate government spend public resources outside the law, far from priorities and state control.

Dr. Youssef Saeed, professor of economics at the University of Aden, added that public service institutions, to this day, still place their resources in current accounts with commercial and Islamic banks and exchange companies, which has provided an opening for corruption.

He explained in an article, “Will the government be able this time to implement the financial law without delay and political calculations?!” He posted on his page on the social networking site “Facebook” that the managers of these revenue institutions no longer differentiate between public and private money, a situation that expresses the extent of corruption in public sector facilities.

He pointed out that Financial Law No. 8 of 1990 and its executive regulations prohibit and forbid state revenue institutions, bodies and government facilities from opening current accounts in commercial banks, whether at home or abroad, and obliges them to open current accounts for themselves only and exclusively in the Central Bank of Yemen.

Since 2015, and perhaps before, most - if not all public sector revenue institutions and bodies in Aden and all governorates affiliated with the legitimate government - have been setting aside their resources away from the Central Bank and maintaining their current accounts with private commercial banks, and even with exchange companies, the latter of which She started doing a job other than her job, opening accounts for clients outside the law.

Dr. Youssef Saeed said: On Tuesday, August 29, 2023, the Minister of Finance issued Circular No. “11” calling on public service units to work immediately to close all their current accounts in banks and exchange companies and supply resources to the accounts allocated to them and opened by the Central Bank in the capital, Aden, and its branches in Governorates in implementation of the law.

He added that the circular required these units to adhere to the provisions of the relevant laws and regulations in force, while committing and adhering to submitting all statements of the monthly current accounts held by these entities, attached to the monthly trial balance, within a period of one week from the issuance of the circular.

He stated that the Minister of Finance’s recent circular directed to revenue public service units was not the first, as this circular is almost the sixth, apart from the messages sent by the Ministry of Finance during previous years, but the managers of these units did not care and did not respond, perhaps because centers of power continued to protect them and provide them with protection from the law and accountability. Or that their influence within the government was strong.

He pointed out that the Council of Ministers on various occasions threatened to replace managers who did not commit to closing their current accounts that they worked to open outside the Central Bank without complying with the law. Despite this, the directors of government public service units ignored the directives of the Council of Ministers and repeatedly ignored the directives of the Minister of Finance.

المصدر: نيوزيمن