HARARE, March 16 (Xinhuanet) -- The Zimbabwean government has appointed an eight-member committee to investigate 13 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have failed to account for more than 88 million US dollars mobilized through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

    According to Minister of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare Paul Mangwana on Tuesday, 17 other NGOs successfully met the March 11 government deadline by which they were supposed to have accounted for the funds.

    The money was mobilized after the government made a consolidated appeal to the international community for humanitarian assistance in 2003.

    Mangwana said he had since appointed a committee of eight officers to investigate the remaining 13 NGOs.

    "I have appointed the committee according to Section 8 of the Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO) Act and members of the committee have already been given their terms of references," the minister said.

    He said the committee, which includes personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department's Serious Frauds Squad, was scheduled to start work on Monday and would produce a preliminary report within the next two weeks.

    Mangwana added that the committee would seek to establish whether the foreign currency received by the NGOs was handled within the confines of the country's foreign currency exchange regulations.

    The committee, said Mangwana, was also mandated to look at the ratio between operational and administrative expenses to assess whether the money received was used or managed to achieve intendedobjectives.

    The government early this month wrote to the NGOs giving them March 11 as the deadline by which they should have accounted for the money or face appropriate action under the PVO Act.

    Under the Act, the minister can either suspend, institute an investigation into the operations of an NGO or prosecute the offending organization or its directors for abusing public funds.

    The 88,7 million US dollars was mobilized through the NGOs after international donors had put in a condition that the money should not be handled by the government.

    Despite that stipulation, the money was deemed public funds because it was raised on behalf of the government and people of Zimbabwe.

    However, last week the minister said the government's investigation was not restricted to the 30 named NGOs only, but would be extended to all NGOs.

    The minister said this after a lengthy meeting with the acting UNDP resident representative, Benard Mokam.

    He also revealed that his ministry had already asked other lineministries to submit lists of NGOs that they were working with.

    In addition, he said, they also wanted all NGOs to submit annual financial and technical reports that reflect the money thatthey receive each year and the activities that they undertake during each particular year. Enditem