In an address to Parliament on Tuesday, 10th March 2026, the Ministry of Finance has declared an end to the "systemic plunder of the public purse", following the release of a damning Auditor-General’s report on arrears and payables as of end-2024.

Presenting a statement on behalf of the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, described a "rotten system" that has seen GH¢8.1 billion in public funds flagged over several concerns.

“A total of GH¢8.1 billion was rejected for various reasons, including unsupported documentation, duplication, overstatements, already-paid items, falsified store receipts advice and no work done,” Mr Ampem stated.

This was out of a total of GH¢68.7 billion submitted for audit, with GH¢45.4 billion deemed to be valid for payment.

The audit exposed a culture of blatant illegality within the public financial management architecture. The Deputy Minister detailed four primary methods used to fleece the state:

• Fictitious Claims: The fabrication of services and goods that were never rendered.
• Recycled Invoices: The resubmission of old, already-paid bills to extract double payments.
• Forged Receipts: The falsification of Stores Receipt Advice (SRA) to create a paper trail for non-existent supplies.
• Collusion: Coordinated efforts between rogue officials and contractors to loot state coffers.

The ‘Triple-Lock’ of Accountability

Signalling a radical reset of the nation's fiscal discipline, Hon. Nyarko Ampem announced three non-negotiable mandates that will define all future government expenditure. He emphasised that the Ministry will no longer serve as a "rubber stamp" for weak controls.

“Going forward, no payment will be made without full verification, no commitment will be entered into without budgetary allocation, and no officer, regardless of rank, will be shielded from accountability.”

This policy is intended to ensure that the GH¢8.1 billion rot discovered in the 2024 arrears is never repeated. The Deputy Minister stressed that discipline has officially returned to the centre of Ghana's economic governance.

Referral for Prosecution

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.

A decisive break from the past

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.