PAC calls for prosecution of offenders indicted by Auditor-General’s Report   

Mr James Klutse Avedzi, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), has repeated the call for the prosecution of offenders indicted by the Auditor-General’s Report to control violations of the Public Financial Management (PFMA Act 921) Act, 2016. 

He recommended that individuals captured or indicted in the Auditor-General Report ought to be prosecuted, to deter others and stem recurring misconduct in Public Financial Management, saying some of the infractions captured by the report were deliberate. 

Mr Avedzi said financial laws ought to be enforced to ensure that those who violated or breached the Act were held responsible for their misconduct. 

The PAC Chairman made the call in an interview with the media in Sunyani on the sidelines of a three-day public hearing on the 2023 Auditor-General’s Report. 

Public institutions drawn from the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Ashanti and Western North Regions indicted by the Report are attending the hearing. 

They include Senior High Schools, Colleges of Education, Universities, as well as Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs). 

Mr Avedzi indicated that the committee referred numerous procurement breaches to the Attorney General’s Department, hoping that those culpable would be prosecuted as soon as possible. 

Punitive sanctions, either fines or imprisonment must be imposed on offenders to serve as a deterrent to like-minded others, he stated. 

Mr Avedzi noted that revenue mobilization efforts of the various MDAs captured by the Report were not the best, and called on the Assemblies to prioritise revenue generation, and take better care of government properties.

Source: GNA