The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has stressed t­­­hat it will ensure value for money for every cedi Parliament authorised for public spending in 2024.

This, the Committee said, was to deepen citizens’ confidence in the country's public financial administration.

At the first public sitting of the Committee in the Ninth Parliament to examine the 2024 Auditor-General's Report, the Chairperson of the Committee, Abena Osei-Asare, said the committee would continue with the good work of the previous committee of the Eighth Parliament.

“We are determined not only to raise the bar but also to strengthen oversight and demand even greater consequences for mismanagement of public funds,” she said.

Mrs. Osei-Asare, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Atiwa East in the Eastern Region, commended the work of the predecessor committee, chaired by James Klutse Avedzi, for the diligence and patriotism of the members in building a solid foundation on which the current committee could build.

She stressed the committee's firm resolve to safeguard the integrity of the country's financial management architecture.

"Our resolve is firm to safeguard the integrity of Ghana's financial management architecture and reaffirm trust in the institutions that manage our collective resources," she said.

Mrs. Osei-Asare said the committee would investigate issues and responses transparently and submit a report with recommendations to the House for implementation.

"Once adopted, every ministry, department, and agency cited will be required to implement the recommendations and report back to the committee within one month.

"When necessary, we shall invite the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to take appropriate action to ensure that all these recommendations are not only acknowledged but also enforced," she added.

Mrs. Osei-Asare commended the Audit Service for the excellent work in producing the 2024 audit reports and delivering them on time despite challenges.

The committee will engage with ministries, departments, and agencies to clarify issues raised in the Auditor-General's Report. 

Sitting

Sitting later in the day, the committee directed the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to take immediate steps to recover GH¢54,665 from a former member of staff, Dr. Kennedy Osei, who resigned from the civil service barely eight months after returning from a fully sponsored PhD programme in Australia.

Appearing before the committee in Accra yesterday, officials of the ministry, led by the sector minister, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, and the Chief Director, Dr. Afisah Zakariah, were grilled over the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report, which cited infractions in the recovery of public funds paid to Dr. Osei during his study leave.

Infraction

Dr. Osei, then an Assistant Director, was granted two years’ paid study leave in 2017 to pursue a doctorate at Queensland University in Australia, with additional sponsorship from GETFund to the tune of AU$125,000 and US$49,400 in allowances.

After several extensions of leave without pay, he returned in September 2022 but resigned from the Civil Service in August 2023, having served only eight months of a mandatory four-year bond.

According to the auditors, Dr. Osei continued to receive salary payments during periods he was not entitled to, resulting in an unearned total of GH¢54,664.91.

The committee insisted that the full amount be retrieved for the state.

However, ministry officials told the committee that the Office of the Head of Civil Service, after reconciling figures with the GETFund, reduced the recoverable amount to GH¢19,325.51, out of which Dr Osei had reportedly paid GH¢3,000.

But the auditors maintained they had no evidence of such payment and stressed that the original GH¢54,000 figure still stood.

The conflicting accounts drew sharp reactions from members of the committee.

Recovery

Mrs. Osei-Asare admonished government agencies and institutions to go the extra mile in protecting the public purse.

She said it was not enough for ministries to rely on internal memos or letters when responding to audit queries, especially where evidence of financial recovery was demanded.

The Ranking Member on the committee, Samuel Atta-Mills, who is the National Democratic Congress MP for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem, questioned the ministry’s handling of the case, describing the circumstances surrounding Dr Osei’s resignation and salary payments as clear “fraud.”

He said Dr. Osei’s actions had short-changed the state.

Mr Atta-Mills insisted that both the officer and his guarantors must be held accountable for breaching the bond terms and causing financial loss.

Dr. Lartey assured the committee that her ministry would collaborate with the Civil Service and the GETFund to resolve the discrepancies and intensify efforts to recover the outstanding sums.