The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry has come under intense scrutiny after failing to adequately account for a staggering GH₵91,837,457 recorded as arrears and payable commitments, raising fresh concerns about financial transparency and accountability.
The issue came to light on Monday, March 30, when officials from the ministry appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament to respond to audit queries regarding its financial records.
PAC, which is mandated to examine how public funds are managed and ensure compliance with financial regulations, pressed ministry representatives for clarification on discrepancies identified in the reported figures.
According to audit findings presented during the session, the ministry had declared a total of GH₵116,875,956 as arrears and payable commitments.
However, after a thorough review of the documentation submitted, auditors were only able to validate GH₵25 million of the total amount.
This left a significant balance of GH₵91,837,457 unaccounted for, prompting auditors to reject the figure due to insufficient or unverifiable supporting evidence.
In response to the audit findings, former Chief Director of the ministry, Patrick Nimoh, disputed the rejection of the GH₵91.8 million.
He maintained that all necessary and relevant documents had been duly submitted to the auditors during the review process.
According to him, the ministry complied with all requirements and provided adequate evidence to support the reported arrears.
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