Parliament takes swipe at public institutions for failure to act on A-G’s queries
Members of Parliament (MPs) have taken a swipe at some public boards, corporations and statutory institutions for failing to deal with queries raised by the Auditor-General in his reports for 2010 and 2011.
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Twenty-six institutions out of 51 had dealt with the queries raised by the Auditor-General as of the time the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament met to consider the reports.
Taking the mood of the House into consideration after the Chairman of the PAC, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, had moved for the adoption of the reports, and the subsequent sentiment expressed by contributors, the Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, directed that the comments be served on the various boards for action and report to the House by October 25, 2015.
Members who criticised the public boards, corporations and statutory institutions for the lapses were Alhaji Ibrahim Dey, Salaga South; Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, Manhyia South; Mr Isaac Kwame Asiamah, Atwima Mponua; Mr Benjamin Komla Kpodo, Ho Central; Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, Atwima Nwabiagya North; Mr Theophilus Tetteh Chaie, Ablekuma Central; Mr William Agyapong Quaittoo, Akim Oda, and Alhaji Seidu Amadu,Yapei/Kusawgu.
Outstanding queries
Mr Agyeman-Manu, who is also the MP for Dormaa Central, informed the House that the public boards, corporations and statutory institutions whose queries were outstanding at the time of the committee’s sitting were the Ghana Cocoa Board, the Cocoa Marketing Company (Ghana) Limited, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, the Electricity Company of Ghana, the National Electrification Scheme, the National Petroleum Authority, the Ghana Trade Fair Company and the Ghana Standards Authority.
Others are the School of Public Health, the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana, the School of Nursing, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the University of Professional Studies, the Accra Polytechnic, the University of Cape Coast, the National Board for Professional and Technician Examinations, the Ghana Science Association and the Abibigroma Theatre Company.
The rest are the Copyright Office, the Legal Aid Scheme, the Law Reform Commission, the State Housing Company Limited, the Electoral Commission, the State Enterprises Audit Corporation and the Economic and Organised Crime Office.
The report indicated that significant findings in the Auditor-General’s report bordered on outstanding debts/loans recoverables and cash, payroll and tax irregularities.
It also commented on the state of arrears in the preparation and submission of annual financial accounts and statements by some of the institutions.
Causes of the irregularities
The report attributed the causes of the irregularities to systematic weaknesses such as the lack of supervision, failure by heads of institutions to sanction wrongdoers to serve as a deterrent to others, non-adherence to relevant rules and regulations, lack of policies, improper contract management and weak internal controls.
On COCOBOD, it noted that four organisations owed the board GH¢3,688,491.96 and that the debt had the tendency of negatively affecting the smooth running of the board.
The committee urged the management of COCOBOD to pursue the recovery of the debts.
It expressed reservations about SSNIT’s continued losses in its wholly owned subsidiaries and recommended that the trust review its non-performing investments to identify the cause of the losses and take appropriate measures to stem them.
It also recommended to all public boards, corporations and statutory institutions to strengthen audit report implementation committees to ensure that audit recommendations were duly implemented.