Lawyer and Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has criticised the country’s tendency to focus accountability efforts primarily on politicians while overlooking the role of civil servants in alleged financial irregularities following revelations from the government’s audit of public claims.

Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, March 14, he said the findings should prompt a broader national conversation about responsibility within the public service.

Mr Bentil argued that while public discourse often centres on elected officials, many questionable transactions originate within the bureaucracy that processes and approves payments.

“We focus too much on politicians and ignore the civil servants who actually run the system,” he said.

“If an invoice is duplicated, if documentation is missing, if claims are inflated, it is the people within the administrative structure who process and approve these things.”

Audit findings spark debate

His comments follow disclosures by the Ministry of Finance in Parliament that GH¢8.1 billion in public claims had been rejected after an audit revealed multiple irregularities, including unsupported documentation, duplication, inflated amounts and payments for work that was never undertaken.

Out of GH¢68.7 billion submitted for audit, the ministry said GH¢45.4 billion was validated for payment, while GH¢13.2 billion was flagged for serious concerns.

According to Mr Bentil, the revelations point to systemic weaknesses that require accountability across the entire public sector.

“This is not just about one minister or one government,” he stated.

“There is a system that allows fictitious claims, recycled invoices and collusion to happen. Until we deal with the officials inside the system who enable it, these problems will continue.”

Government introduces new controls

The Ministry of Finance has since referred the audit findings to the Office of the Attorney-General and the Ministry of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.

The government has also introduced a “triple-lock” accountability framework aimed at tightening verification procedures and strengthening budgetary controls before public payments are approved.