General News of Monday, 28 February 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-02-28Auditor-General has not responded to a request for probe into COVID-19 expenditure – Ablakwa
Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu
Ablakwa says government is running from accountability
Parliament approved GH¢1b but govt spent over GH¢8b, Ablakwa
Foreign ministry not aware of GH¢65.7m used for COVID-19 evacuations, MP
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has
Read full articleindicated that the Auditor-Generals Office has not responded to the minority caucus’ request for a special inquiry into the government COVID-19 expenditure.
Ablakwa says that Auditor-General did not also look into COVID-19 expenses in the 2020 Auditor-General's report, hence the need for parliament to set up a committee to look into the expenditure.
According to him, even though parliament approved GH¢1 billion for Ghana’s COVID-19 efforts, the government spent over GH¢8 billion.
“We have received the 2020 Auditor-Generals report, the Auditor General did not carry out an audit into COVID-19 expenditure. Meanwhile, the house approved billions to fight COVID but it is nowhere in the Auditor-General’s report.
“We have written to the auditor general on a number of occasions. Starting from the one who was hounded out of office, Mr (Daniel Yaw) Domelevo, that we demand a special audit into the COVID-19 expenditure, we have no response. Even after we sent a reminder, the Honorable Ato Forson and the Honorable Mutaka Mubarak sent a reminder to the current auditor general, there has been no response,” he said in an interview with Joy News’ Newsfile monitored by GhanaWeb.
Okudzeto Ablakwa bemoaned the failure of the government to probe into the government’s COVID-19 expenses and it attempts to reject the setting up of a special parliamentary committee to investigate Ghana’s expenditure.
“In my sector, the foreign ministry, when they come and appeared before us (foreign affairs committee) there was an item in the 2021 budget that claimed that they had spent GH¢65.7 million on evacuations, they said they know nothing about that. They did not know that such an account existed and it is all in the budget.
“In the UK, The House of Commons has had a parliamentary inquiry into COVID-19 expenditure, in South Africa, we have seen same, we have seen same in Tanzania and it has led to health ministers resigning and some being fired.
“The UN has said that what COVID-19 has also brought on us is violation of human rights and corruption – there has not been transparency with government contracts. Why is it that in Ghana some people want to run away with from a full-blown inquiry?” the MP questioned.
