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Public Accounts Committee recommends the prosecution of those found liable in the Auditor General’s report
he Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), James Klutse Avedzi, says they are bent on recommending to the Attorney General for the prosecution of individuals and institutions indicted by the Auditor General’s report.
According to him, this has become necessary because their previous advice to culprits to go back and rectify the wrongs fell on deaf ears, especially in procurement breaches.
He was speaking at the committee’s sitting on the Auditor General’s report for 2018 in Sunyani in the Bono Region.
Some heads and accountants of pre-tertiary and tertiary educational institutions in the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, and Ashanti regions, are appearing and answering queries on irregularities in the report.
On day one of the committee’s sitting on Monday, Wenchi SHS, Menji Agric SHS, Koase SHS, Sunyani SHS, Berekum Presec, Chiraa SHS, Nkoranman SHS, Nsawkaw SHS, Mansen SHS, Nchiraa SHS, Kumasi, and Sunyani technical universities were in attendance after being indicted on cash management, procurement, payroll, contract, and tax-related breaches.
While some were discharged after the auditors confirmed their recommendations have been adhered to, others needed to provide better evidence.
The committee chairman directed the Attorney General to prosecute Wenchi SHS for breaching the Public Procurement Act in a non-competitive procurement of goods and services.
The school, according to the report, issued payment vouchers amounting to 25, 546.25 which breached section 92 of the procurement Act.
The former headmaster of Menji Agric SHS, Paul Nsiede, was also directed by the committee chairman to provide documents covering an expenditure of over 15,000 to the current headmaster within a week, else he will be made to refund the money to the government chest.
This and many other situations, according to the PAC chairman, James Klutse Avedzi, reoccur despite previous advice to correct the wrongs.
“We will begin to apply the law and recommend the sanctions prescribed by the law. The committee will not prosecute them but we will recommend to the Attorney General to prosecute them”, he said, adding those found liable can go to jail for five years or a 30,000 charge, or both for procurement issues.
“When the AG begins to prosecute them, and some are being jailed, it will serve as a deterrent for others to follow”, he insisted.
He further noted that for breaches of uncompetitive procurement, they will not waste time adding them to a growing list of people and institutions as it happened in the northern region, “and by the time we finish the whole country, we will have a very tall list of candidates for prosecution”.
Mr. Avedzi, who is also the MP for Ketu North, advised the institutions to work and ensure that they follow the recommendations of the report.
“The thirty days window given to them after the exit conference should be utilized to ensure that their names and infractions are not reported in the auditor’s report at all. But once they are reported, we will call them whenever we are meeting”.
Mr. Avedzi said the committee is also expected to sit on the 2019 Auditor general’s report in 2022.
The six days committee sitting is also considering the report of the Auditor General on the accounts of District Assemblies and the management and utilization of the District Assemblies Common Fund for 2018.
Source: MyJoyOnline.com
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
