The relationship between the Office of the Attorney General and the Parliament Public Account Committee (PAC) is crucial in the fight against corruption.
It is important to state that both institutions play distinct but complementary roles in ensuring accountability and addressing corruption in every democratic country.
In Ghana, while the Public Account Committee of Parliament is responsible for examining government expenditures, audit reports, and financial transactions to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, the Office of the Attorney General on the other hand, is responsible for investigating and prosecuting cases of corruption and financial misconduct.
Here, while the Public Account Committee of Parliament works to identify instances of financial mismanagement, irregularities, or corruption through its oversight function, the Office of the Attorney General utilises the findings and recommendations of oversight bodies like the Public Account Committee to inform its investigations and onward prosecution.
It is therefore conclusive to estimate the danger it portends to the fight against corruption if the Attorney General fails to prosecute individuals recommended by the Public Account Committee (PAC) of Parliament.
Interestingly, Ghana’s situation is not getting better as annually the report of the Public Account Committee of Parliament is left to collect dust by the Office of the Attorney General.
The Chairman of the Public Account Committee of Parliament, James Klutse Avedzi has accused the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame for undermining the country’s fight against corruption due to his failure to act on the Public Account Committee’s report.
Expressing regret about the development, the Member of Parliament for Ketu North asserted that the Attorney General Office has refused to prosecute individuals found culpable of breaching various procurement and public financial laws of the country despite the Public Account Committee’s report recommending countless sanctions for such individuals.
“Since 2019, I have started referring to people who flout the financial laws of this country, especially the public procurement acts. All the things the committee has referred to the attorney general for prosecution and the house has adopted the report, as we speak today no action has been taken by the attorney general to prosecute these people. So as a committee, I ask myself what am I doing?
“Why should we spend state money to go do our work and when we give our recommendation, the state agencies that are supposed to take action on them, don’t take action? “If we are actually fighting corruption, why is the attorney general not working on those referrals? It is for him to play his part. If he is not doing it, he is actually frustrating the fight against corruption and he is part of this government”.
James Klutse Avedzi
Moreover, the Chairman of the Public Account Committee of Parliament, Mr Avedzi indicated that Parliament would commence an action to summon the Attorney General to provide answers on his failure to act on the report submitted to his office.
According to the Ketu North lawmaker, the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice is required by the laws of the country to comply with the committee’s report, stressing that his failure to act under the various instances cast a blithe on the country’s fight against corruption.
“We in Parliament today have appealed to the clerk of parliament to officially communicate in writing the recommendation to the A-G and if he refuses to take action, I think the laws are there. Because the Public Financial Management Act 2016 (ACT 921) stipulates clearly that every year the A-G must present a report to Parliament on the action he has commenced on the referrals for persecution and he has never since 2017 till date”.
James Klutse Avedzi
It is worthy to note that Mr Avedzi is not an exception as successive Chairmen of the Public Account Committee of Parliament under the Fourth Republic have expressed their frustrations at the lackadaisical attitude and posture of the Office of the Attorney General on the committee’s report.
It would be therefore in the interest of the State for the Office of the Attorney General and the Parliament Public Account Committee to create a strong and collaborative relationship to enhance the overall effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts in the country.
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