James Klutse Avedzi
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has ordered the immediate arrest of the Northern Regional Director and Accountant of the National Sports Authority (NSA).
The two are alleged to have squandered over GH¢160,000 of an internally generated fund after they failed to pay the amount into the Consolidated Fund.
The anomaly was captured in the 2022 Auditor General’s report which said the Northern Regional Management of the NSA failed to lodge the GH¢160,000 in the designated Consolidated Fund Transit account of the Sports Authority.
The Auditor-General underscored that this action violates the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019.
The NSA Northern Regional Director, Salamatu Alhassan, was therefore summoned by PAC to come and explain the infraction identified by the Auditor-General, but he failed to appear before the committee.
This infuriated the Members of Parliament (MPs) on the Public Accounts Committee with its Chairman, Dr. James Klutse Avedzi, ordering the immediate arrest of the Regional Director and his accountant.
“We are directing that the Regional Director and the accountant of the region should be picked without delay. They should be picked immediately.
“You are invited to appear before a committee of Parliament and you refuse to attend, knowing very well that you have squandered over GH¢160,000. You think that we will leave you to go scot free. Minister, kindly do that and get us the feedback,” he ordered.
The lawmakers were also concerned about debts owed to the National Sports Authority by some companies which the Northern Regional NSA Accountant wrote off without permission.
“The National Sports Authority, there is a lot of rot over there. Vodafone Ghana owes you GH¢18,000; CCMI owes you GH¢2,250 and you (referring to the Director General) sat down for this regional head to write it off without permission,” one of the MPs asserted.
Encounter
MP: “Did you get a copy of this audit report?”
DG: Mr. Chairman, yes.
MP: Did you read the report?
DG: Yes.
MP: And did you get understanding of the recommendations?
DG: Mr. Chairman, we asked the Regional Director to comply with the recommendations – that is, to reinstate the debts as they are and make efforts to recover the money. And this was done. Letters have been issued for the demand of the debt.
By Ernest Kofi Adu