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Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has warned the government that failure to release budgetary allocations to key priority institutions in the country will no longer be tolerated.

On Monday, December 19, 2022, the Speaker expressed concern about the government’s failure to allocate the Defense Ministry’s budget in order for it to function properly.

He stated that his investigations revealed that 81 percent of the approved budget for 2022 had not been released to the Ministry and that the budget for 2023 had been reduced.

“The safety of individuals, community, and the nation cannot be toyed with. My checks at the Ministry and the Controller and Accountant General Department clearly indicated to me that security agencies are one of the priority areas of the government. But this is not what is reflected in the performance of 2022,” Mr. Bagbin said.

He said he cannot understand why approximately 81 percent of budget allocation for goods and services in 2022 to the Ministry of Defense was not released.

“In this current situation, how do you expect them to operate?” Speaker Bagbin asked.

He said the House would no longer appeal to the government to allocate approved budget to priority institutions since parliament must legislate and have oversight responsibility over institutions.

”It is not for this House to continue to be appealing to the Ministry to release. We are in charge. We legislate, we pass the law on taxation, they are to implement and failing to do it, we have to take them on.”