'Documents seized from Prempeh not classified'

The acting Auditor-General, Mr Edward Dua Agyeman, has stated that documents, which were seized from the house of the former Auditor-General, Mr Osei Tutu Prempeh, are not classified.

In a letter to the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) following its request for a review of documents it seized from the house of the former Auditor-General, the acting Auditor- General, stated: "I found that the reports were all single copies covering various years and appeared to be personal copies of the Auditor-General, which are also available to all management staff of the Audit Service".

He added that, "these personal copies may normally be taken home as long as the reports have been laid before Parliament."

The BNI picked Mr Prempeh on April 13, 2001, from church for keeping the documents in his house in contravention of official regulations relating to the handling of vital state documents. During the search, 39 pieces of documents were seized from Mr Prempeh's house including "Reports of Auditor General's Public Accounts" and "Statement of Foreign Exchange Receipts and Payments of the Bank of Ghana."

He had maintained that the documents were the personal copies of the Auditor-General's report to Parliament for the period 1992-1999, which had then been submitted.