Auditor-General Accused of Enhancing Corruption –Apaak Says It’s A Shame
A member of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak, is accusing the Auditor-General of enhancing corruption to triumph in the public sector under his watch, for refusing to surcharge persons found culpable for misusing of state resources.
Dr. Apaak, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South noted that, instead of working against the menace by using his powers to punish culprits to serve as a deterrent to others, Mr. Johnson AkuamoahAsiedu is rather seen enhancing the menace to thrive under his watch.
“It’s a shame that rather than working against corruption, the refusal of Johnson AkuamoahAsiedu to disallow and surcharge is enhancing corruption,” the lawmaker stated.
According to him, the Auditor-General’s refusal to surcharge persons found culpable is not in public interest.
In a statement sent to The Anchor, the lawmaker said as a member of the Public Accounts Committee, he has confronted the Auditor-General on the matter, but no action has been taken so far.
“I had hoped that would ginger him to apply the power to disallow and surcharge in the public interest, but no.
“Why has the current Auditor General (AG) Johnson AkuamoahAsiedu, refused to use the power to disallow and surcharge to recover public funds when Daniel Yaw Domelevo used same to recover GH 66M,” Mr. Apaak stated.
He continued “The power to disallow and surcharge was affirmed by the Supreme Court in the OccupyGhana case, and Daniel Yaw Domelevo gave it effect, until he was hounded out of office.
“Strangely Domelevo’s successor, the current AG, John AkuamoahAsiedu, has refused to use this power/authority. The 2020 & 2021 AG reports on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) alone, which he superintended over, indicate that GH 12B & GH 17B can’t be accounted for respectively. Yet, he is not surcharging!
According to the MP, he is convinced that the current AG is not working in the public interest, “he is not helping to protect the public purse. In fact, he is enhancing the dissipation of public resources.
“It’s a shame that rather than working against corruption, the refusal of Johnson AkuamoahAsiedu to disallow and surcharge is enhancing corruption.
“An AG whose work is against the public interest is not fit for purpose and ought not to be tolerated. A public officer must work in the public interest.”
Source: theanchorghana
