News:
August 22, 2011
The Member of Parliament for Adenta, Kojo Adu-Asare has said that the public hearing of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament should result in persons found to have embezzled public funds being prosecuted.
According to him, the hearings based on the Auditor – General’s report over the years have been merely an exercise to expose malfeasance in public service but fail to hold officials accountable for their misdeed.
This year’s annual public accounts hearings revealed staggering revelations of financial impropriety have been made against several public servants with millions of Ghana Cedis going into private pockets.
The committee’s sitting, considerered reports of the Auditor-General (AG) on the accounts of Ghana for 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Contributing to a panel discussion on the Public Accounts hearings on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show on Monady 22nd August 2011, the Member of Parliament for Adenta, Kojo Adu-Asare stated that government must go a step further and ensure that those found culpable must be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to persons who also harbour such criminal intent.
“Ghanaians are not interested in only watching the sittings live on national television which is telecast at a huge cost to the ordinary person, where we see here tough tquestions being asked by the Public Accounts Committee members, but are also interested in knowing what sort of punishment is meted out to such criminals’’ he said.
Hon. Adu- Asare called for the speedy establishment of the Financial Administrative Tribunal to deal with recommendations made by the PAC.
According to him, the tribunal when in operation will ensure that recommendations including fines and prosecutions made by the Public Accounts Committee against persons found culpable by the Auditor General’s report are upheld.
By : Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh