The Ministry of Finance has pledged to see to an end what it described as “systematic plunder of the public purse” by ensuring that individuals cited in the Auditor-General’s report on arrears and payables as at the end of 2024 fiscal year are held accountable and made to face the law.
Presenting a statement on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, noted that the report identified GH¢8.1 billion misappropriated public funds flagged over several concerns, saying that, “A total of GH¢8.1 billion was rejected for various reasons, including unsupported documentation, duplication, overstatements, already paid items, falsified store receipts advice, and no work done.”
Mr Ampem also indicated that the Audit Report exposed the blatant illegalities that had been ongoing within the country’s public financial management architecture which the Ministry of Finance intends to address.
According to him, individuals who engaged in the financial mismanagement of public funds used four main methods, namely fictitious claims, recycled invoices, forged receipts, and collusion.
Mr Ampem further announced a triple-lock approach by the government to ensure accountability in the management of public finance.
“Going forward, no payment will be made without a full verification, no commitment will be entered into without budgetary allocation, and no officer, regardless of rank, will be shielded from accountability,” Mr Ampem announced.
“Discipline has officially returned to the centre of Ghana’s economic governance,” he emphasised.
To ensure accountability and meet the public demand for justice, Mr Ampem indicated that Dr Forson had formally referred the findings of the report to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to ensure that all individuals implicated be brought to book and made to face the law.
“The Mahama administration refuses to accept this rotten system; in fact, we refuse to normalise waste, and we refuse to ask the Ghanaian people to pay for fraud,” the Deputy Minister added.
He, therefore, cautioned government appointees who collude with contractors and falsify records to desist from such acts or face the full rigours of the law.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
Join our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
