OccupyGhana, a citizen-watchdog group dedicated to informing the public about government activities, has issued a stern warning to the Auditor-General (AG) over its delay in furnishing the group with a report on the retrieval of GHS 2.2bn disallowance from 2017 to 2020.
In its most recent request to the Auditor General, the group threatened to escalate the matter to the Right to Information Commission (RTI) if the AG fails to provide the report within the stipulated seven-day deadline.
In a rejoinder to a statement by the AG on the retrieval of the said amount, OccupyGhana expressed frustration over the undue delay in the release of the report, despite assurances by the AG that it had completed the report and would soon make it available to them.
The group in its statement disclosed that its repeated requests for the report have been ignored, prompting it to take the drastic step of escalating the matter to the Right to Information Commission.
OccupyGhana’s threat to escalate the matter to the Right to Information Commission is a clear signal that civil society groups are not willing to sit idle while public officials delay or refuse to release information that is crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability.
The group’s actions are likely to put pressure on the AG’s office to release the report promptly and to comply with the country’s Right to Information law.
Auditor-General’s Gh¢2.2 billion Disallowance
It can be recalled that from 2017 to 2020, the Auditor-General’s report contained disallowances that were recovered for more than GH¢2.2 billion.
The sum exceeded the Auditor-General’s anticipated disallowances of GH¢4 billion. This was retrieved after the Audit Service had investigated expenditure irregularities in pre-university institutions, technical universities, public boards, ministries, departments, and agencies as well as the District Assemblies Common Fund.
The money was also recovered by uncovering seven irregularities that the Auditor General later found to be false in the areas of cash usage, contracts, indebtedness (loans and advances), payrolls, leases, stores (procurement), and taxes.
GH¢1.6 billion of the total disallowances came from tax fraud, GH¢420.31 million from advances and loans, and GH¢131.07 million from cash fraud. The remaining funds, totalling GH13.60 million, came from contracts, payrolls, rent and stores/procurement.
However, OccupyGhana says its push for evidence is being curtailed by the refusal of the Auditor-General to provide the needed information.
“On 11 January 2023, we wrote to you (our ref: OG/2023/001) to inquire whether you had finalised your report and request that a copy of the report be made available to us. You have not responded to that letter.”
OccupyGhana
The issue of financial transparency and accountability is a critical one for Ghana, and the actions of civil society groups such as OccupyGhana are essential for holding public officials accountable for their actions.
The government must ensure that public institutions comply with the Right to Information law and that citizens have access to the information they need to hold their leaders accountable.
The AG’s office is therefore advised to take prompt action to release the report to OccupyGhana to avoid further escalation of the matter.
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