Review all past audit reports to hold officials accountable

An aide to the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Akosua Manu, has called for a comprehensive approach to accountability following revelations in the Auditor-General’s report on government arrears and payables.

Her comments come amid growing debate over the audit findings, which raised concerns about the management of billions of cedis in claims submitted by contractors and suppliers to the government.

The report showed that GH¢45.4 billion out of GH¢68.7 billion in claims had been validated for payment. However, auditors rejected GH¢8.1 billion after identifying irregularities, while GH¢13.3 billion in claims remains under review due to missing documentation, contracts, or third-party confirmations.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s weekend news analysis programme The Big Issue, Akosu Manu stressed the need for accountability across all periods captured in various audit reports.

She maintained that any investigation or sanctions should not be limited to a specific timeframe but should cover all administrations and previous reports where irregularities may have occurred.

She posits that ensuring accountability across the board would help strengthen public financial management and restore confidence in the country’s governance systems.

“In this particular instance, GH₵8 billion thrown out in debt audit. It cannot be that somebody creates this crime scene only for the audit to review that it is not true. Beyond that there are claims that date back several years.

“If we are going to punish, we won’t start just from a certain time frame, we need to go all the way back but we certainly need to move forward. Ultimately we are aligned. People should be held accountable but it must not be specific to a certain period. It should be all the way back. Go back to all the reports, hold people accountable. It is the only way Ghana will move forward,” she said.