Africa-Press – Ghana. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has directed the Office of the Head of Civil Service (OHCS) to pay some missing money into the Auditor General’s recoveries account at the Bank of Ghana within 30 days.
The payment vouchers for the money are said to be missing.
The Auditor-General’s report revealed that OHCS was unable to retire some payment vouchers, prompting the Committee to take swift action.
According to the Auditor-General’s findings, some payment vouchers were not generated by the head office but were supposed to be obtained from the Government Secretarial School.
This came to light during PAC’s public hearing in Parliament House, Accra, on Tuesday.
In one instance, a certified payment voucher went missing, yet OHCS proceeded to distribute money for payment. While the auditors confirmed receipts of some payment vouchers pending verification, the Committee still directed OHCS to settle the amount within the specified timeframe.
During the hearing, it was also revealed that seven OHCS staff at the Ho Campus of the Government Secretarial School owed rent totaling GH¢23,579.48 for occupying government bungalows.
Similarly, “staff at the Koforidua and Sekondi campuses owe GH¢13,425 and GH¢7,674, respectively,” the report read.
According to government policy, all employees housed by the state are charged rent from their salaries.
Mr Samuel Atta Mills, Ranking Member, PAC, tasked the OHCS Chief Accountant with recovering the outstanding amounts.
“The directive underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in public financial management,” he said.
Mr Atta Mills emphasized the need for OHCS to adhere to financial regulations and ensure that public funds were properly managed.
The PAC of Parliament, chaired by Madam Abena Osei Asare, the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Atiwa East, is holding a public hearing from Tuesday, August 19, to Tuesday, August 26, to consider the Auditor-General’s report on Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for the year ended December 31, 2024.
The Monday hearing featured appearances from the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Office of the Head of Civil Service.
Before proceeding with the hearing, the committee held a moment of silence in honour of the late Environment Minister, Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, who died in a helicopter crash two weeks ago along with seven others.
He was a member of PAC in the Eighth Parliament.
The six-day public hearing will examine the Auditor-General’s report, which highlighted significant issues, including Ghana’s public debt and weaknesses in financial reporting and asset management.
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