High Court declares gov’t breached FMAA for 2020 budget process

David Patterson

Justice Franklyn Holder on Monday ruled that the government’s failure to circulate the proposed budgets for constitutional agencies to the National Assembly back in 2020 was in breach of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA).

According to Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, who represented APNU+AFC Member of Parliament David Patterson, who had sued Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC and Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh, the High Court ruled that the budget and or proposals of the Audit Office is to be submitted to Parliament by the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee in accordance with Section 80B of the FMAA.

Patterson had been the Chairman of the Committee at the time.