A member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Kabiru Tiah Mahama, has criticised the government’s response to issues raised in the Auditor-General’s report on arrears and payables as at the end of 2024, insisting that the findings should lead to prosecutions rather than what he described as attempts to “create a scare.”
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Dr. Tiah Mahama argued that while public disclosure of financial irregularities is necessary, authorities must take further steps to ensure that individuals who breach financial regulations are held accountable under the law.
“Exposing these things are good, but my problem is that they are not doing it with the intention actually to punish people. They are doing it to create a scare,” he stated.
He stressed the importance of transparency and due process, warning against the practice of portraying individuals as guilty before their cases are heard in court.
“We fully support any decision to ensure accountability and transparency and to make sure people involved in financial malpractices are dealt with in accordance with the law. However, we do not support the idea of presenting people as guilty before they are heard or before their cases are determined in court,” he added.
His comments follow disclosures by the Ministry of Finance Ghana to Parliament highlighting key findings from the Auditor-General’s report on government arrears and payables.
Among the revelations was that 10,000 metric tonnes of rice, reportedly paid for by government in 2024 to mitigate the effects of a dry spell, remain unaccounted for, raising concerns over the management and distribution of emergency food supplies.
The Ministry also revealed that GH¢45.4 billion out of GH¢68.7 billion in claims submitted by contractors and suppliers has been validated for payment after a comprehensive audit and verification exercise.
However, auditors rejected GH¢8.1 billion worth of claims after identifying irregularities in the submissions, while an additional GH¢13.3 billion remains under review due to inadequate documentation, missing contracts, or lack of third-party confirmations.