Pressure group OccupyGhana is demanding that the Auditor-General issue disallowances and surcharges for irregularities disclosed in various audit reports.
The group in a letter to the acting Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, reminded him of the 2017 Supreme Court judgement which affirmed the power of the Auditor-General to issue surcharges and disallowance after its audits.
OccupyGhana thus said, “each omission to disallow and surcharge by you is a blatant contempt of the Supreme Court.”
“It is also a ‘high crime’ under the Constitution because article 2 says you ‘Shall duly obey and carry out the terms’ of the Supreme Court’s consequential orders or directions,” it added.
The group further impressed on the Auditor-General that he does not have any discretion in the matter once irregularities have been cited.
In addition, OccupyGhana also said it was expecting the Attorney-General to play his part in the matter.
“We are copying the Attorney-General in this letter, to put him on notice that when you have complied, we shall require him, in line with the same injunctions, to take the enforcement steps that the Supreme Court ordered and directed.”
“This is the least that the people of Ghana can expect from our Auditor-General and Attorney-General,” the group said in the letter.
Financial irregularities committed by various statutory institutions for the year 2020 stood at GHS 12.8 billion, up from GHS 3 billion and GHS 5.5 billion in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Deficiencies noted in the operations of the Assemblies created avenues for some officials to mismanage funds and resources of the Assemblies to a financial value of approximately GHS 77.14 million.
