The Auditor-General and the Annual “No Action” Movies

The Auditor-General is mandated by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana in Articles 184, 187 and 286 to audit public accounts of Ghana and any other public office.

Various Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), the Legislature and the Judiciary are audited. That is, all state machinery that take their monies from the consolidated fund fall under the remit of the Auditor-General’s investigations.

Simply, the state gives you money to utilize for the running of your institution, by extension the country, and at the end of the year, you prepare a financial statement to inform the state how you utilized the money given to you.

It is sad, pathetic and disgusting that since the inception of the 4th Republic almost all the financial reports audited by the constitutional body, the Auditor-General have been negative and just sapping the energy of the country financially. From the Executive, Parliament to the Judiciary and the other organs of state, the story is sickening and annoying.

The country has many deficits to correct. These include educational infrastructure, roads, hospitals, housing, and transportation, among others. It is therefore very disgusting that the state does not punish the culprits of such messes.

The annual reports the A-G submits to Parliament for action against the nation wreckers just end up with the Public Accounts Committee only for the optics. Sadly, sponsors spend huge money for live broadcast or telecast and the outcome is nothing to benefit the population.

It is very ironic that these perceived and alleged stealers are not punished or prosecuted but a goat or plantain thief is prosecuted and jailed. Oh no!. The enforcement of our laws should be fairly ‘distributed’.

I pray that the leadership will be up and doing by nipping this corrupt and mismanaged system in the bud.

It is very disgraceful to read about supposedly organized, respected and well-resourced organizations such as the universities, Ghana Cocoa Board, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) being cited for corruption and financial mismanagement, looking at their structure and organization. Have we thrown away the practice of good corporate governance?

So the numerous reports and the recommendations since the coming into force of the 4th Republic are mere paper works, rhetoric worthless against the state?

I pray that the current Special Prosecutor, my lecturer at the Legon School of Law, Kissi Agyebeng will walk his talk by decisively dealing with the nation destroyers especially on the annual A-G reports and other malfeasance acts.

He should smoke them out, prosecute them and ensure that our monies are retrieved with interest and if possible, they should be incarcerated, to serve as lesson to any potential stealer or stealers.

The annual report of mentioning wild figures without any punishable action should be dissuaded and ‘dustbined’.

Our leaders are disturbing the soul of our nation for their in-actions.

The time for the application of the law to change the narrative is now.

Attorney General and Special Prosecutor please act now.

The power to punish does not fall under the purview of the Auditor-General, rather the Attorney General.

Auditor-General audits and the Attorney General prosecute and the Judiciary or the Courts convict and sentence the culprit.

I pray that these Constitutional bodies will cooperate to salvage the nation.

The lip service is enough; the time for action is now.

Ahmed Osumanu Halid

Nima 441