Castle Chases A-G Over Woyome

Reports say pressure is mounting on the Auditor General, Richard Quartei Quartey, to accept that he erred in the figures presented in his 2010 report regarding the controversial judgment debts paid to self-acclaimed financier of the ruling NDC, Alfred Agbesi Woyome. Sources at the Auditor�s General�s department have hinted that government officials, especially at the presidency, are bent on forcing the Auditor General to admit that he erred in stating in the report that a colossal amount of GH�41,811,480.59 (almost ₵420billion) was paid to Mr. Woyome on June 4, 2010. This, according to Daily Guide sources, was part of reasons why on Tuesday, January 10, 2010, Deputy Minister of Information Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, told Accra-based Citi FM that the Auditor General had made a mistake in his 2010 report and pointed to the existence of some letters from the Auditor General�s Department to the Finance Ministry admitting errors. A statement issued by the Auditor-General and signed on his behalf by the Director of Public Relations of the Public Service, one Reverend Joseph Ghunney, said, �in 2010, two payment orders were made towards the settlement of claims for Alfred Agbesi Woyome� and that �the first payment order for GH�41, 811,480.59 was issued on the 6th of April 2010.� On September 22,2010, another payment order for GH�17, 094,493.54 was issued and paid to Woyome. In effect, the statement said �in 2010, only one payment involving an amount of GH�17, 094,493.45 was made to Mr. Woyome and not GH�58, 905,974.13.� In an interesting yet surprising twist, the Auditor-General stated that �correspondence on the reversal of the GH�41, 811, 480.59 was not attached to the original order in the books of the Controller and Accountant General and was therefore not available to the team of auditors from the office of the Auditor-General who conducted the audit of the public accounts maintained by the Controller and Accountant General.� That notwithstanding, the Auditor-General has indicated that any payments made in 2011 would be examined during the audit of the Consolidated Fund for 2011. However, GH�41, 811, 480.59 paid to Woyome and captured in the 2010 Auditor General�s report indicated that the payment was ordered on June 4, 2010 and not April 6, 2010 as stated in the press statement issued yesterday.