The Minister for Finance Development of the Republic of Somaliland, Dr. Sa’ad Ali Shire, Wednesday, repudiated a statement of the Somaliland House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Ibrahim Mahdi Buubaa, made in which he said the government was struggling with a $80 million Dollar debt which the former government left it on its lap.
Horn Cable TV asked him if such a debt existed or was on record at the ministry.
“That debt does not exist neither did I share it with the Committee,” Dr. Sa’ad said.
“We only discussed how items raised in the budget could best be implemented and how we could avoid any setbacks to areas delineated for development such as the eastern regions,” he said.
The station asked why he did not challenge the PAC chairman’s derogatory statement at the time and remained noncommittal about as if he agreed with what was said.
“I did not wish to create a scene in front of the media,” the Minister said, adding that nothing about debts let alone a government being burdened by such an awesome amount was either discussed or even passingly touched on.
“The statement was absolutely the Chairman’s – and confined to him alone,” he said.
The Honorable Buubaa made the ‘revelation’ at a briefing he and the Minister of Finance made to the press at the end of a consultation meeting which brought the two sides together on Tuesday.
Buubaa stated that the incumbent government was reeling with a staggering 80 million US Dollars debt the government of Ex-President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud ‘Siilaanyo’ saddled it with.
The Public understood it as something that the Minister shared the committee with. The statement sparked heated debates at every corner and nook. Shock waves rocked the very foundation of the unrecognized nation. Public opinion, however, was largely incredulous of the disclosure with the more academic among the public pointing out that, first, no mention of any debt was raised in any of the budgets including the 2019 one. Secondly, the Minister who handed over the responsibility to the 2017-elected government vehemently annulled the assertion saying not a penny did she leave behind beyond an understandable, few yet-to-be-submitted outstanding bills stating that she would come back from a visit abroad to challenge anybody who said otherwise.
The Minister also, in the same interview, stated that there was no substance to the claim that the government of President Musa Bihi granted a five-million USD contract to buy a container scanner for Berbera port to a business tycoon, Mohamed Aw Saeed, who was a close ally and supporter of the President. A report aired by Horn Cable TV itself alleged that the contract was awarded him without taking it through the process laid down by the National Tender Board.
