Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has welcomed a ruling by the Supreme Court ordering the Auditor General to immediately begin surcharging persons found to have misappropriated public funds.
James Avedzi Klutse believes that the ruling by the apex court will facilitate the fight against corrupt by public officers.
He said the ruling also gives PAC the stamina to ensure retrieval of funds from public officials cited for financial misappropriation.
“The ruling by the Supreme Court it’s will make the work of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament easier” James Avedzi Klutse told host of Adom FM’s 'Burning Issues' programme, Afia Pokua.
His comment on Wednesday follows the ruling by a seven-member panel of justices of the Supreme Court, presided over by incoming Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, ordering the Auditor-General to begin surcharging persons found to have misappropriated monies belonging to the state.
The order of the court follows a suit filed by pressure group, Occupy Ghana in June 2016, seeking an order directing the Auditor-General to issue disallowances and surcharges to and in respect of all persons and entities found in relevant, successive reports to have engaged in misappropriation of state funds.
Occupy Ghana had explained that it sued the Auditor General for refusing to surcharge persons who are said to have misappropriated monies belonging to the state to the tune of over billions of Ghana cedis.
Mr. Klutse Avedzi assured the general public that his committee, together with the Auditor-Genera,l will ensure that funds misappropriated by public officials will be retrieved into government chest.
Meanwhile, the Auditor-General, Daniel Domelovo, who was also speaking on the show on Adom FM, said he was excited by the Supreme Court ruling as it reinforces his powers of disallowance and surcharge.
He promised that his outfit will vigorously chase after individuals who have in one way or the other misappropriated state money.
“The ruling by the Court brings clarity to provisions of the 1992 Constitution which for several years have not been enforced,” he said.
Lawyer and a member of the pressure group, Occupy Ghana, Ace Ankomah, urged the Auditor-General to work assiduously with the Supreme Court ruling.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS