Auditor-General, Daniel Domelovo, has revealed that some 25 individuals identified as owing the state have settled their debts even before a Supreme Court ruling directing him to retrieve state funds is enforced.
Mr. Domelovo said he is committed to enforcing the Court’s directive to the letter, and warned against interference as he sets out to retrieve monies from persons cited to have misappropriated state funds.
“More than a month ago, we identified about 25 individuals we were going to call on, but when we went to [the Public Accounts Committee] to find out the current status, all of them have paid the money,” he said.
The Court last week Wednesday ordered the Auditor-General to issue disallowance and surcharges in respect of all state monies found to have been expended contrary to law.
Pressure group, Occupy Ghana, secured the judgment after three years of public advocacy and pleas to the Auditor-General’s office.
The Auditor-General also said on Saturday that he has started gathering the needed evidence to reinforce his powers of disallowance and surcharge. He said he has to meticulously build a file which has evidence for each of the cases before proceeding.
"If I surcharge you and you don't agree with me and we go to court, I cannot just pull out just my report to say this is the evidence to your embezzlement. I must show documents that you signed this and that vouchers for this payment, showing the invoice number and all," he said.
He said he will not enforce his powers to surcharge just because an infraction was identified in the past and rectified, but instead, those cases that have credible documents to back his work.
“It’s continuous progress. As we go, if we identify those who have not paid the money or have not been able to provide documentary evidence to acquit the expenditure, that is the person we will surcharge,” he reiterated.
Every year, the Auditor-General makes serious findings of many instances of misapplication of colossal amounts by public office holders.
Sometimes the public officers make admissions before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament but none is ever held accountable or punished.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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SO Mr. Auditor General is that the end? You should have been fired by now if you were in US. The people are supposed to be prosecuted and at the same time refund the money as practiced in US. We always do this and allow others to go walk on the streets free. Look at how Woyome is misbehaving?
PLEASE MR. AUDITOR GENERAL WE CAN'T BELIEVE YOU UNTIL YOU PUBLISH THOSE INDIVIDUAL THEIR NAMES AND THE RECEIPTS WHICH SHOWS TRULY THE MONIES HAVE PAID. ***barred word***
Prosecute them for S.T.E.A.L.I.N.G!!!
Sometimes I wonder why I was born in this country called Ghana. Why can't we stand up against the big men who are ***barred word*** the coffers of the country. people stealing cars, left and right! Monies being taken any how by party functionaries. People go to into politics and the next day they have four cars and beautiful mansions! Yet the poor man wallows in poverty.
We want transparency....How do we even believe what he is saying? Did they pay with interest? Why can't we be transparent in this country/
This auditor general is a smart áss and must be watched with an eagle eye
this is just a cover up strategy the auditor general has adopted that why he was appointed last minutes by the previous government. he must shows which account it was paid into and pay in receipt of the particular bank
there names should be polishe to deter others from misappropriation of state funds