The Deputy Finance Minister, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has informed Parliament that an Auditor-General’s report has uncovered duplicated and overstated claims totalling GH¢1.4 billion across several Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), raising serious concerns about fiscal accountability.

Mr Nyarko made this revelation on Tuesday, March 10, while presenting findings from the Auditor-General’s report on arrears and payables as at the end of 2024.

According to him, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs was found to have duplicated claims amounting to GH¢408.31 million, the largest single discrepancy among the MDAs audited.

The Ministry of Energy recorded duplicated claims of GH¢386.71 million, reflecting significant gaps in financial controls within the sector.

Also, the National Service Scheme alone overstated allowance arrears by GH¢334.5 million, highlighting weaknesses in the processing and verification of payments to personnel.

The Ministry of Roads and Highways reported duplicated claims totalling GH¢125.65 million, while the Ministry of Health had duplicated claims of GH¢114.2 million.

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) also had duplicated claims, although smaller in scale, amounting to GH¢8.8 million.

In a move to meet the public demand for justice, the Finance Minister has formally referred the Auditor-General’s findings to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice. The goal is to bring criminal charges against those responsible for what the Ministry termed the "rape of the public purse".

“The Mahama administration refuses to accept this rotten system; in fact, we refuse to normalise waste. And we refuse to ask the Ghanaian people to pay for fraud,” the Deputy Minister told a hushed Parliament.

The statement concluded with a stern warning to public servants: rank will no longer provide immunity. Whether high-ranking directors or junior officers, anyone found to have colluded with contractors or falsified records will face the full rigour of the law.

The Ministry maintains that this moment marks a "decisive break from the past" and a total "reset" of how Ghana manages its wealth. Under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, the government has pledged that the demand for accountability will be met with swift and visible action.