The Audit Service has debunked claims that an attempt to cover up misdeeds by government is the reason the delay in submitting its 2019 report to Parliament.

According to the Service, its inability to perform the annual activity was due to concerns beyond the control of the outfit including the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Minority in Parliament has accused the Audit Service of breaching the law establishing Auditor General’s office by not submitting the report to Parliament, six months after the year ended.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu blame the situation on President Akufo-Addo’s decision to direct the AG, Daniel Domelevo to proceed on his accumulated leave.

“That is why you must understand when an overzealous President asks an Auditor General to go on leave, the consequence is that what he is required and obliged to do under the constitution – to submit the report on time to parliament – that constitutional right is held in breach,” he said.

But the Audit Service has vehemently fought off the assersion.

In a statement signed by Assistant Director of Public Relations, Ama Awotwe-Bosumafi, the Service explained that "this delay is not intentional or purposeful as Hon. Iddrisu sort to adduce. The delay is solely due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that disrupted government business and social life."

Mr Iddrisu during his assertion on Monday had also added the government is hiding the 2019 report in an attempt to cover up corruption supervised by the NPP administration ahead of the elections.

“This government is covering up to avoid the potential embarrassment of what will be revealed in the audited account of 2019.”

But the Audit Service will have none of that. The September 30 statement describes the Tamale South MP's comments as false.

"The delays can certainly not be described as "deliberate for the primary purpose of avoiding further embarrassment to the Government…or intended to cover up malfeasance on the part of government because this year is an election year", as the Minority is speculating, but rather the result of the general situation affecting the nation as a whole, and was totally out of the control of the Auditor-General".

"It is also instructive to note that on 20th July 2020, the acting Auditor-General (Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu) submitted the "Report of the Auditor-General on the Consolidated Statements of the Foreign Exchange Receipts and Payments of the Bank of Ghana for the year ended 31st December 2019," the Assistant Director said.

According to the statement, "the acting Auditor-General, informed the Speaker of Parliament through the cover letter that reports covering other accounts would delay because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the audit activities of the Service."

"Most of these outstanding reports have since been sent out for printing for onward submission to Parliament. Copies of all reports that would be submitted to Parliament would be published on the Services website (www.ghaudit.org) in due course and in conformity with Section 23 of Act 584."

The Audit Service, however, assured that it will "work assiduously in the interest of the nation but would not compromise the health and safety of its courageous and industrious staff who toil to generate the relevant information required to produce Reports for the Auditor-General to submit to Parliament."