NDC Member of Parliament(MP) for Builsa South and a member of the Public Accounts Committee, Clement Apaak has described as worrying, the posture and loud silence of the President since the release of the Auditor-General’s report on the Covid-19 expenditure.
According to him, the President is behaving as if he has not heard the commentary or even sighted the report himself and it is very worrying.
Speaking on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ programme, he explained that the President ought to address the nation like he did during the Covid-19 days when he gave an update on what his government was doing about the pandemic.
“Look, in some African nations, like Malawi, the President has addressed his nation on the back of an audit report on COVID-19 expenditure, but with President Akufo-Addo, who won an election in 2016, largely on a promise to fight corruption, seems lethargic to acknowledge an audit report on COVID-19 expenditure, even in passing. Not even a tweet or facebook post,” he said.
“The President of Malawi addressed the people of Malawi in relation to exposed corruption, malfeasance, and misappropriation of COVID-19 funds. He passionately told his nation what consequences and sanctions awaited those responsible, including some of his own Ministers and other appointees. In Ghana it is the opposite. The President doesn’t seem interested in the content of the COVID-19 Report, which has equally exposed acts of corruption, malfeasance, and misappropriation of COVID-19 funds in Ghana.”
He added that trying to excuse the posture of President Akufo-Addo, with regards to this scandalous Auditor-General’s Report on COVID-19 expenditure is untenable.
He maintained that claims made by some members of the New Patriotic Party, that Akufo-Addo is only being cautious because infractions captured in the Auditor-General’s report have usually been resolved at sittings of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament is fallacious.
“Yes, lots of funds have been retrieved as a result of disallows by the Auditor General and recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee at it’s sittings. The Public Accounts Committees of the 7th and 8th Parliaments have made several recommendations for the prosecution of persons whose conducts have offended the procurement laws of Ghana, or have led to the loss of public funds. And it’s important to state, that when the Public Accounts Committee recommends prosecution, the Attorney General is expected to act”.
He said unlike the President of Malawi, President Akufo-Addo by his refusal to comment on the Auditor-General’s report indirectly confirms the widely held belief that he has no interest in fighting corruption.
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Source: peacefmonline.com
