Special Audit Report: PAC to probe GH¢68.7bn arrears scandal in 3 weeks
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), has been given a three-week timeline to investigate the special audit report which has detailed several suspected irregularities, falsified records, and questionable payment claims amounting to GH¢68.7 billion in government arrears.
The referral was made by the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, a day after Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem tabled formally presented the report to Parliament on Tuesday, March 10.
During an interview on Joy FM on Wednesday, PAC member Akwasi Konadu confirmed that the committee had been given a clear and strict timeline to “act on the report.”
“We will follow proper procedure, assess all findings, present our report, and inform the public of the results. Whatever was written in the audit report and the House report is final unless additional reviewed evidence emerges to alter any findings,” he stated.
He further emphasized that every individual named or cited in the report will be given the chance to respond to the allegations against them.
“The PAC will uphold accountability and transparency. All individuals cited in the report will be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations,” he added.
The Manhyia North MP also revealed that the current Chairperson of the committee, Abena Osei-Asare, will step aside in accordance with Parliament’s standing orders, as she previously served as Deputy Minister of Finance under the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration, “the very government whose tenure is at the centre of the probe.”
“Whenever we are considering reports emanating from a government, any person associated with that government will not chair the committee. This is standard parliamentary procedure to ensure impartiality. So, Madam Osei-Asare will recuse herself when the committee examines matters relating to the previous administration,” Konadu explained.
He further stressed that the current PAC Chair will not only step aside, but will also be invited to participate as a witness or a subject of the committee’s investigation if the need arises.
“If the chair is ever required to appear before the committee as a witness or participant regarding any matter under review, she would also be invited during those proceedings,” he confirmed.
He noted that the committee will present its findings and recommendations to the full House at the end of its 3-week timeline.
The special audit, conducted by the Ghana Audit Service in collaboration with professional services firms Ernst & Young (EY) and PwC, was commissioned to verify and validate arrears submitted to the Ministry of Finance by various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) as at the end of 2024.
The exercise focused on what was described as a “massive stock of unpaid Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs), invoices, and Bank Transfer Advices (BTAs)” owed to contractors and suppliers over several years.
According to the report, claims amounting to GH¢68.7 billion were presented for verification, out of which GH¢45.4 billion was validated as legitimate obligations that the government is expected to settle. However, a total of GH¢8.1 billion in claims could not be validated and was “outrightly rejected.”
“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 cases where no work had been done,” Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem revealed.
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