The sitting of the Parliament Public Account Committee under the chairmanship of the Ketu North Member of Parliament, Honorable James Klutse Avedzi has revealed what one could describe as a high level of impunity among public officer holders in the country.
During the Committee’s sitting on Tuesday, February 6 2024, the Chairman, Honorable James Klutse Avedzi, ordered the arrest of the Northern Regional Director of the National Sports Authority (NSA) for alleged financial misconduct.
The directive comes in the wake of the 2022 Auditor General’s Report, which cited the Northern Regional Sports Authority for spending without adherence to the Public Financial Management Regulation, 2019.
The Northern Regional Director is accused of failing to deposit internally generated funds totaling One Hundred and Sixty Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc160, 000) into the consolidated fund.
The Chairman of the Public Account Committee of Parliament, Honorable Avedzi commenting on the issue, expressed deep regret over the conduct of the Director of the National Sports Authority in the Northern region and unequivocally demanded his immediate arrest,
“The PAC is directing the Regional Director and the Accountant should be picked up immediately by the police. You were invited to appear before the committee and you refused, knowing very well that you had squandered over Ghc 160, 000 and you thought you could go scot free”
Honorable James Klutse Avedzi
This recent call for accountability follows a similar incident where the Chairman ordered the arrest of the Former Head Teacher of Ahamansu LA Parishad Primary School, Mr. Krampah Patrick Wisdom.
According to the Chairman of the Public Account Committee of Parliament, the Auditor-General’s Report revealed that Mr. Wisdom had received GHc 72,759.32 in unearned salary, despite vacating his position in February 2018 to join the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) as a Project Assistant.
Hon. Avedzi highlighted the alarming trend of public officers flouting financial regulations and procuring services without adherence to procurement laws.
The Public Account Committee of Parliament’s Chairman further expressed concern that most Public Health Institutions in the country operate in contravention of Section 20 of the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, a practice persistently flagged by the Auditor-General in its annual reports.
“From my observation, most of these Public Health Institutions go contrary to section 20 of the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act despite recommendations from the Auditor-General in every annual report to desist from such practice”
Honorable James Klutse Avedzi
It is worthy to mention that the recurring theme of financial impropriety and non-compliance with established regulations among public officers is very worrying and hence the urgent need for collaborative efforts between state institutions to deal with it.
The blatant disregard for established laws and regulations among some public officers in the country goes a long way to undermine development and progress in the country as evidence from the Auditor-General report reveals that the country loses billion of Ghana cedis to corruption every year.
It is therefore imperative for Parliament, the Auditor-General, and the Office of the Attorney General among other state institutions including the Economic and Organized Crime Office to work in tandem to eliminate the pervasive culture of impunity within the public sector.
The collaboration between the various key state institutions is not only desirable but imperative to ensure that public officers are held accountable for their actions, in order to help foster a culture of transparency and responsibility within the public sector.
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