Assembly misuses GHC9,100 DACF funds on pump action guns

A decision by the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region to use some of its money given to it by the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for developmental projects to buy pump action guns, has irked the anger of the Auditor-General.

Part VI, Section 11 of the Financial Memoranda enjoins an officer responsible for a head of expenditure to vouch for payment by ensuring that expenditures in respect of services are included in the approved, supplementary or reallocated estimates.

Additionally, Part XII, Section 64 requires an Assembly to maintain a Register of Assets that it owns or leases.

But the Auditor-General does not understand why monies meant for developmental projects could be misapplied to procure guns for personal use by the Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed Mubarak-Muntaka and the former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the area, Mr. Nurudeen Hamidan.

A report of the Auditor-General on the Management and Utilization of District Assemblies’ Common Fund and other Statutory Funds for the year ended December 31, 2015, sighted by Kasapafmonline.com states the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly procured two pump action guns valued at GH?9,100.00 from the main DACF and MP’s DACF accounts for the personal use and protection of the MCE and the honorable MP for Asawase constituency.

What is more worrying, the report noted, was the fact that the two pump action guns were registered in the names of Hon. Mubarak-Muntaka and Mr. Hamidan.

The Auditor-General concerned about this mishap has therefore directed the Assembly to immediately take steps to register the two pump action guns in the name in the name of the Assembly since they are now assets of the Assembly.

“In the absence of effective documentation, the guns might go missing without detection. We recommend that the weapons should be properly documented to establish ownership to the Assembly in compliance with the laws and also management should operate within budgets in order not to throw its budget into disarray,” the report noted.