President John Dramani Mahama has sent a clear message: the era of impunity for financial mismanagement in Ghana’s public sector is coming to an end.
On Sunday, May 31, during a diaspora town hall meeting, President Mahama voiced his deep concern about the billions of cedis Ghana loses each year to financial irregularities—losses consistently detailed in the Auditor-General’s reports. “Every year, you hear the Auditor General’s report, Ghana loses 12 billion cedis from misappropriations and things,” he lamented, highlighting the persistent drain on the country’s resources and the longstanding weaknesses in public financial management.
But this time, the president announced a historic shift. Thanks to the Chief Justice, Ghana now has specialised audit courts designed to handle cases of financial wrongdoing uncovered by the Auditor-General. No longer will those implicated merely appear before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee; they will stand trial in these new courts, facing real consequences.
President Mahama was resolute: anyone found culpable in audit reports will be compelled to refund misappropriated funds or face imprisonment. He emphasized that the Attorney-General and the Auditor-General would collaborate closely to prosecute offenders and recover public money. “We’re putting them in front of those special courts to either refund our money or proceed to NSAWAM and go and catch some rest there,” he quipped, referencing Ghana’s most well-known prison.
His vow comes at a time of renewed public scrutiny on financial accountability, following recent high-profile cases examined by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee. Among them was a directive ordering officials of the Ho Municipal Assembly to refund GH¢138,000 within 60 days.
With these new audit courts and a presidential commitment to enforcement, Ghana appears poised to turn a new page in its battle against public sector financial irregularities.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com