PAC Holds Hearings In Upper East(31st August 2011 05:24:41 by Benjamin Xornam Glover)

The ranking member of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, Alhaji Amadu Siedu, has disclosed that over GH c 2.561 million was lost to government due to irregularities in management of public funds by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA) in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions mainly through violation of financial regulations and other unapproved spending.

Alhaji Siedu, who announced this at the hearing of the Auditor-General’s Report of 2005-2007 for MMDAs in the three Northern regions, in Bolgatanga on Monday said most of the losses were due to contract irregularities, tax irregularities, procurement and cash irregularities.

The ranking member, who is also the NDC Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kusawgu,mentioned that in the Northern region, over GH c1.2 million was lost while in the Upper East Region GH c 388.000 was lost. In the Upper West Region, GH c 973,000 was lost during the period under review.

He said those funds were disbursed on defined projects and programmes but were not properly accounted for in terms of documentation.

The Committee, apart from hearing reports for the three financial years ending December 2007, will also consider the management and utilisation of the statutory and other earmarked funds for district assemblies for the period.

Thirty-one assemblies in the three regions would appear before the committee. The assemblies include; Zabzugu Tatale, Gusheigu, Saboba/ Chereponi, Tamale Metropolitan, East Mamprusis, Salaga, Savelugu Nanton, East Gonja, Bole, Nanumba South, and Nunumba North District Assemblies. Others are West Gonja, Yendi, Central Gonja, Karaga, Sawla/Tuna/Kalba, Bawku West, Garu Tempane, Bongo, Kasena Nankana, Bawku Municipality. The rest are Talensi, Bolgatanga Municipality, Builsa, Nadowli, Wa East, Wa Municipality, Sisala East, Lawra, Jirapa Lambussie, Sisala West, Wa West district assemblies.

Alhaji Seidu said most of those irregularities was as a result of failure to adhere to the Financial Administration Act and therefore called on duty bearers to stick to the regulations.

Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, said the aim of the hearing was to ensure that MMDAs addressed issues raised in the Auditor-General’s report.

He urged public officers to enforce sanctions for those found culpable of misapplying public funds.

‘The days of non accountability of public funds are gone forever. Our work as members of the committee is to institute the culture of transparency and accountability’, he said and added that the concerns of the ordinary Ghanaian tax payerwere for public office holders to account for how they spent public funds and they as representatives of the people were dedicated to ensuring that monies given to MMDAs were properly accounted for.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, in an address read on his behalf by his deputy, Madam Lucy Awuni, said the fact that the Parliamentary Committee on Public Account had been empowered to move out to the regions as part of exercising its oversight responsibility over the executive was a clear demonstration of government’s avowed commitment to ensuring that the principles of probity and accountability were vigorously pursued to the letter.

Mr Woyongo said the hearing apart from serving as a wakeup call to public officials and duty bearers to properly manage public funds, it would also help the people in the region to know much about how funds allocated to the various assemblies were managed.