News:
August 22, 2011
The Vice Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, Kweku Agyemang Manu says under no circumstances must the Committee be dragged into politics and unnecessary propaganda.
According to him, the Committee sits to protect state resources and it should not be seen as though it’s a political wing of a party or part of government machinery.
He expressed the sentiments in the wake of the recent allegation by some government officials that the Public Accounts Committee was being mischievous and had deliberately hidden the Auditor General’s report that indicted the former Minister of Information Stephen Asamoah Boateng who is alleged to have misappropriated funds and given huge sums of money to selected media personnel to do the bidding of the then ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) prior to the 2008 elections.
Despite several explanations from the Chairman and other high ranking members of the Public Accounts Committee that such a report had not yet been laid before them, some government officials including the Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa continued to impugn that the committee which is currently chaired by an NPP member intentionally left out that report to avoid the former appointees being scrutinized.
However speaking on Joy FM News programme over the weekend, the Vice Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee who is also the MP for Dormaa West, Kweku Agyemang Manu, stated that claim by the Deputy Minister was a serious indictment on the Committee which has thirteen members of the ruling NDC government including the substantive Minister of Information as members.
“I don’t see how NDC members on this august committee will connive with us the NPP, to hide such a serious report if indeed it had been put before the committee’’ he said.
Hon. Agyemang Manu added that the Public Accounts Committee is working in the best interest of the state and will not engage in any acts that will undermine good governance in the country, adding that the Committee has advised that the Speaker of Parliament personally sees to the establishment of the Financial Tribunal to retrieve monies embezzled by public officials.
By: Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh