A serving Finance Officer at Parliament has been named in a GH¢139,710 payroll breach found at the Sefwi Akontombra District Assembly, leading the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to move to engage the Clerk of Parliament.
The issue came up during a PAC hearing on Monday, April 20, where Assembly officials answered audit queries on unearned salary payments cited in the Auditor-General’s report.
According to the Assembly, the payments cover three officers who were on attachment between 2022 and 2024 but kept drawing salaries unlawfully. Auditors later advised that the sums be retrieved from the persons involved. Assembly officials, however, told the Committee that efforts to recover the money have failed, despite attempts to reach both the individuals and the agencies they were attached to.
The case has attracted strong interest because one of the officers now serves as a Finance Officer at Parliament. The Assembly noted it had written to both the officer and the Clerk of Parliament but had not received any reply.
Committee members flagged worries over the matter and its impact, especially since a current parliamentary staff member is involved. The Ranking Member, Samuel Atta-Mills, then ordered that the Clerk of Parliament be officially informed to ensure proper action and help recover the funds.
