Majority Chief Whip and South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has called for immediate arrests if allegations that the Auditor-General concealed key findings from its COVID-19 expenditure audit are established.
His comments follow an investigation by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, which has raised questions about the Auditor-General’s special audit of COVID-19 spending.
The investigation found that the Auditor-General’s report recorded GH¢96.3 million as COVID-19 fumigation expenditure, while documents examined by Mr Awuni indicated that government ministries spent hundreds of millions of cedis more on the exercise.
In particular, the investigation found that the Ministry of Local Government spent about GH¢299 million on three fumigation contracts, but the expenditure was not included in the fumigation figure reported by the Auditor-General. The Ghana Audit Service has confirmed that the ministry’s expenditure was audited but has not explained why it was excluded from the reported figure.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, Mr Dafeamekpor said the allegations, if proven, could amount to a serious public finance scandal.
“If what Manasseh Azure Awuni is further revealing is what is actually the case, then arguably we have the greatest public finance scandal of maybe the Fourth Republic,” he said.
Mr Dafeamekpor said the Auditor-General has a legal obligation under Section 16 of the Audit Service Act to report the findings of a special audit to Parliament.
“You cannot conceal any facts from Parliament,” he said.
He argued that the evidence presented by Mr Awuni suggests that the Audit Service conducted audits of the Ministries of Local Government and Transport but may have failed to include material findings and recommendations in the report submitted to Parliament.
He said such an omission, if established, could constitute a breach of the law.
“So where the evidence, the pieces of material evidence that he’s pieced together, points irresistibly to the fact that they actually conducted the audit of the Ministry of Local Government and Transport, but in reporting to Parliament, concealed material findings and perhaps recommendations for consideration by Parliament and perhaps leading to legislative reforms from Parliament, they’re in breach of Section 16,” he said.
The South Dayi MP said he was considering issuing a formal statement on the matter but maintained that the allegations required urgent action if they were confirmed.
“If this is really the issue tonight, then people should be, the arrests should be happening before daybreak tomorrow, because this cannot be countenanced under any circumstances in this country,” he said.
The controversy centres on the Auditor-General’s special audit of COVID-19 expenditure commissioned in 2022. Mr Awuni’s investigation has identified significant differences between the fumigation expenditure reported in the audit and spending documented by several government ministries.
Former Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo has also called for an explanation of the discrepancy, saying the issue could indicate that information was withheld from auditors or that the audit was not properly conducted.
