Assembly blows GHC11, 000 meant for persons living with disability

• Posted on October 10, 2014October 10, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Authorities of the Bole District Assembly have revealed that GHC11, 000, 00 of the District Assembly Common Fund meant for persons living with disability was diverted to finance the assembly’s periodic meetings.

They also confessed that some monies were deducted at source to convey people from various parts of the district to welcome Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur who visited the area on a working visit.

These revelations popped up at Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee three days meeting with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies from the three regions of the north.

Authorities of the Karaga District Assembly claimed some supporting documents covering their expenditure for 2010 to 2012 were carried away by floods which ravaged the area.

An outspoken member of PAC, George Loh who doubles as Legislator for North Dayi in the Volta Region doubted the relevance of the Karaga DCE and his District Finance Officer in office.

According to him, some MMDCE’s were clueless on basic financial regulations governing the disbursement of the District Assemblies Common Fund and other statutory funds.

He recommended that people who are ready to sacrifice for nation building should be appointed as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.

Authorities of Nanumba South District Assembly were compelled to apologize to the PAC members for attempting to be evasive in their responses.

The Nanumba North South District Finance Officer in a calculated attempt failed to convince the PAC members why the district failed to furnish the Auditor Generals Department with proper documents covering huge monies spent on some supposed development projects.

They affirmatively responded to the queries among which included a $95, 290 US Dollar European Union fund meant for sanitation projects in the Tamale Metro Area.

The PAC’s Acting Chairman, Robert Sarfo Mensah recommended that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives at the various assemblies should be blamed for the under-developed nature of rural communities.

He said sanctions recommended by the Auditor Generals Department will be fully implemented.
A ranking member of the committee,  Alhaji Ibrahim Dey Abubakari urged duty bearers at the various assemblies to comply with the Financial Administration Act.

The PAC’s substantive Chairman,  Kweku Agyemang Manu, Member of Parliament for Dorma Central charged duty bearers at the various district assemblies to be meticulous in spending monies meant for development projects.

He attributed the indentified financial infractions on the Auditor Generals Department query for 2010 to 2012 to lack of commitment on the part of some MMDCE’s and their District Finance Officers.

The Auditor Generals Department queried all MMDAs in the three regions of the north for spending statutory funds in their custody with total disregard to laid down financial regulations.

It was rectified that the GHC21 million spent by the MMDA’s without proper documentation was across the country and not limited to those in the three regions of the north.

The PAC members wrapped up their three days sitting in Tamale and instructed some of the MMDA’s to by October ending furnish the Auditor Generals Department with proper documents covering monies spent without due diligence.

Summarily, it was uncovered that some MMDA’s across the country diverted statutory funds for unaccounted for projects for which reason those found culpable should be sanctioned.

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah