Parliament's Committee on Independent Institutions has stated today that it is not advised for the National Integrity Commission to hire new staff at this juncture.
Parliament's Committee on Independent Institutions has stated today that it is not advised for the National Integrity Commission to hire new staff at this juncture.
The committee came to this decision while looking into complaints submitted by the commission stating that the Ministry of Finance has refused to approve even until last July any new recruitments despite this year's budget having included provisions for hiring four new members of staff.
The commission wishes to recruit new hires for these positions:
- Assistant Director
- Legal Officer
- Assistant Investigator
- Administrative Officer
NIC said that although they have a very low number of staff at the commission, case numbers are increasing daily. They highlighted that the commission has investigative authorities, as well as the jurisdiction to look into cases concerning other investigation agencies.
"These positions are vital to the commission. We appeal to you to do all you can to seek authorization from the Finance Ministry to hire persons for these four positions," the letter submitted to the Committee by NIC reads.
However, the Committee backed Finance Ministry's decision and announced today that due to economic situation of the country at this moment, it is not advised to employ additional persons at this time.
The Committee also decided to discuss concerns with independent institutions when it came time to formulate next year's budget plans.