Ofori-Atta won't account for coronavirus funds in review budget - Assibey-Yeboah

The Chairman for the finance committee of Parliament  Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah has rejected demands for finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to render accounts of all funds approved for the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Minority in Parliament and former finance minister Seth Terkper have asked Mr Ofori-Atta to provide detailed account on the use of the over 16 billion cedis granted to government to fill the fiscal gap created as a result of the pandemic.

They demand is grounded in the public finance management Act. But speaking to the media, Chairman for the finance committee Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah argued the demands for accountability are untenable.

According to the New Juaben South MP,  accountability of public funds rest with the auditor general and not parliament through a mid-year budget review.

"I hear people saying the minister should come and account for the COVID-19 money, this is not the place for such thing. In this country all our expenditures we submit to the auditor general at the end of the day, he vets it, he audits it and submits an account to Parliament on how we have expended so how can the minister who has been given the money come to the House and say I’m accounting for this,” he told the media.

But Kumbungu MP Ras Mubarak said the Minister should at least account for withdrawals from the contingency fund as he promised during the approval. Mubarak alleged the claim that the auditor general is the only person to audit the Covid-19 funds informed the president’s decision to ask him to proceed on leave.