Parliament to set up committee to audit Auditor-General's office

Parliament is to constitute a three-member ad-hoc committee to recommend to the legislative body the appointment of an auditor to audit the accounts of the Office of the Auditor-General.

The committee, which will be chaired by the Deputy Majority Leader, Ms Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, will have the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr James Klutse Avedzi, who is also the Chairperson of the Public Account Committee (PAC), and a Ranking Members for Public Account Committee, Mr Kofi Okyere-Agyekum as members.

Graphic Online's reporter in Parliament, Nana Konadu Agyeman reported that the motion for the ad-hoc committee was moved by the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem Central, Mr Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, on the floor of Parliament on Thursday [March 12, 2020.

Vexed in financial matters

Moving the motion, Mr Anyimadu-Antwi told the House that the background to the motion was informed by Article 187 of the Constitution, particularly Clause 50 which states that “The account of the office of the Auditor-General shall be audited and reported upon by an auditor appointed by Parliament.”

“Mr Speaker, by practice this had been done through the appointment of a committee that advises Parliament. It is for this background that I propose these Honourable Members,” he said.

Buttressing his proposal, he told the House that the three members of the committee were both well vexed in financial matters.

Seconding the motion, the Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak,

Let’s support committee

Seconding the motion, the Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, said it was not the first time that such committee had been constituted by Parliament in line with the Constitution.

He said the composition of the committee had been the same members who, in the past, did a very good work on behalf of the House and “I have the least doubt that they will do same.”

“Mr Speaker, I will want to urge my colleagues to support the composition of this committee so that they can fast-track the process of getting an auditor to audit the Auditor-General’s accounts,” the MP for Asawase in the Asokore Mampong Municipality in Ashanti stated.