A political strategist of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has slammed the Ghana Audit Service over its silence on claims that an amount of GHc12 billion has been stolen by the incumbent government.
He demanded the Audit Service to speak out on the matter since it continous silence goes a long way to confirm the falsehood the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is spreading.
The private legal practitioner questioned that “Will the Ghana Audit Service continue with their remarkably loud silence, leaving the NDC to continue spreading the serious lie that some GHS12 billion has been stolen according to the 2020 Auditor General’s report?”
He continued that “A playback of 2008’s crass but well-crafted, effective mischief.”
Gabby’s concern follows the Auditor General’s report for 2020 which indicated that a whopping GHc12 billion had been stolen or misappropriated by various ministries, departments and agencies between 2017 and 2019.
The Auditor General had revealed in its report that total amount of GH¢12.85 billion irregularities equivalent of $918.28 million was committed in 2020 by public boards, corporations and other statutory institutions.
According to the report, the irregularities include outstanding debtors, cash irregularities, payroll irregularities, tax irregularities, procurement irregularities, stores irregularities and contract irregularities.
The report states that the total irregularities figure of GH¢718.08 million in 2016 increased to GH¢12.002 billion in 2017. The irregularities declined by GH¢8.99 billion in 2018 to GH¢3.007 billion.
However, the total irregularities increased by 81.8% from the 2018 figure of GH¢3.007 billion to GH¢5.46 billion in 2019.
Contract irregularities also accounted for GHS89.8 million out of the total sum of GHS12.8 billion.
“The total irregularities stood at GH¢12,856,172,626 which included US$918,285,771.95 converted into Cedis at the prevailing exchange rate of GH¢5.7602 to the US$1 as at 31 December 2020, and €647,815.00 converted into Cedis at the prevailing exchange rate of GHS7.0643 to €1 as at 31 December 2020 and 464, 963.13, converted into Cedis at the prevailing exchange rate of GHS7.8742 to £1 as at 31 December 2020.”
“The total irregularities figure of GH¢718,085,208 for 2016 increased to GH¢12,002,880,339 in 2017. The irregularities declined by GH¢8,995,621,415 in 2018 to GH¢3,007,258,924. However, the total irregularities increased by 81.8% from the 2018 figure of GH¢3,007,258,924 to GH¢5,468,398,431 in 2019.
“During the period ending 31 December 2020 the total irregularities recorded a 135% or GH¢7,387,774,195 rise from GH¢5,468,334,006 in 2019 total irregularities figure to GH¢12,856,172,626 in 2020.
“This was occasioned mainly by a surge of GH¢5,207,442,576 or 107% in outstanding debtors/loans/recoverable component of the total irregularities for the period ending 31 December 2020.”
A number of NDC members have started making commentary on the report in their favour.
For instance, the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor described the revelation as alarming.
According to him, “The monies we speak of are equivalent to the entire COVID-19 expenditure…. If we had this money, do you think we would have struggled to go to IMF, to go to World Bank or tax the people? No.
These are monies that have fallen through the cracks.”
However in a recent tweet, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko questioned why the Audit Service has been so silent on the matter for so long thereby allowing the NDC to go amok in peddling the ‘lies.’
“Will the Ghana Audit Service continue with their remarkably loud silence, leaving the NDC to continue spreading the serious lie that some GHS12 billion has been stolen according to the 2020 Auditor General’s report? A playback of 2008’s crass but well-crafted, effective mischief,” his tweet said.
By Vincent Kubi