Refund stolen funds or go to Nsawam prison — Mahama warns audit offenders
President John Dramani Mahama has pledged to take strong action against individuals implicated in financial misconduct highlighted in the Auditor-General’s reports, warning that offenders will either be forced to repay stolen public funds or face jail time.
Addressing a diaspora town hall meeting in the United Kingdom on Sunday, May 31, President Mahama lamented the continuous financial losses uncovered in successive Auditor-General’s reports, describing the situation as a serious burden on the nation’s economy.
He said the repeated findings expose deep-rooted problems in public financial management and accountability.
“Every year, you hear the Auditor General’s report, Ghana loses 12 billion cedis from misappropriations and things. The Chief Justice has graciously established audit courts,” he stated.
The President explained that the creation of specialised audit courts marks a major move toward ensuring that audit violations attract concrete punishment beyond discussions in Parliament.
According to him, individuals cited in audit reports will no longer only appear before the Public Accounts Committee, but will also be prosecuted to recover misused state funds and ensure accountability.
President Mahama added that the Attorney-General and the Auditor-General will collaborate to prosecute offenders and retrieve lost public money.
“The Attorney General and the Auditor General are going to bring all the people who have misappropriated funds before those special courts to either refund our money or proceed to Nsawam and rest there,” he said.
His comments come amid heightened public concern over financial accountability following recent hearings by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, where several cases of financial irregularities and mismanagement were examined.
One notable case involved officials of the Ho Municipal Assembly, who were directed to refund GH¢138,000 within 60 days over audit-related breaches.
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