The Minority caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee has questioned Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa's demand that former Ghanaian Ambassador to the United States, Hajia Alima Mahama, refund monies allegedly linked to findings in a special audit of Ghana’s Washington embassy.

The caucus, led by Damongo MP and Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel A. Jinapor, says the demand raises serious questions about due process.

It said the former Ambassador’s claim that the auditors “neither spoke to me nor wrote to me to respond to any issue/observation” was particularly concerning.

“Indeed, if the auditors had found any wrongdoing on the part of the former Ambassador, due process requires that she be given a hearing and her responses taken before any conclusion,” the statement said.

The Minority argued that the Auditor-General, and not the Foreign Affairs Minister, has the constitutional authority to surcharge individuals following an audit.

It cited Article 187(7) of the Constitution, which vests the power of disallowance and surcharge solely in the Auditor-General.

The Caucus therefore questioned, “On what authority did the Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs purport to write his letter requesting the former Ambassador to refund the alleged monies?”

It further argued that even where a surcharge has been issued, the affected person has 60 days to pay or appeal to the High Court.

According to the Minority, the procedure adopted by the Foreign Affairs Minister “seeks to circumvent this laid procedure and curtail the former Ambassador's appeal against surcharges.”

The Caucus also challenged the scope of the refund demand, saying it covers embassy activities between 2019 and 2025.

It is noted that the Minister was in office only from June 2021 to November 2024.

“Nowhere in the audit report is it suggested that the amounts being demanded occurred only during the tenure of Ms Mahama,” the statement said.

“Why will the former Ambassador be held accountable for matters that occurred prior to her assumption of office and those that occurred after leaving office?”

The Minority further raised concerns that the Special Audit Report has not yet been laid before Parliament.

It said Section 16 of the Audit Service Act mandates the Auditor-General to submit special audit reports to Parliament for deliberation.

The caucus argued that the demand amounts to attributing personal liability to Mahama before she has been heard, surcharged by the Auditor-General or given an opportunity to appeal.

It said the Minority supports efforts to recover public funds but insisted that such action must follow the law.

“We will support every lawful effort to protect and recover public funds, but we will equally insist that such efforts are undertaken within the bounds of the law,” the statement said.