BOTH LOCAL Government Minister Kwadwo Baah Wiredu and NDC ranking Member of Parliament on the sector, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, have categorically stated that the MPs share of the Common Fund is not personal money for any MP but is meant for the development of their respective constituencies.
Accordingly, the two top officials have warned all MPs to desist from sitting on monies they collect from their share of the district assemblies Common Fund as though they have power to use the monies as and when they consider right.
The authoritative statement clearly exposes the mode in which Dr. Boakye Akoto (pictured), New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Birim North, handled some ?10.1million he picked from his share of the common fund last year. Up till the time we filed a report on the amount two weeks ago, the Hon. MP had not utilized the money, though he applied for it ostensibly to rehabilitate schools damaged by rainstorms.
The Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, made the clarifications in an interview requested by the Chronicle to throw more light on the laid down procedures for the MPs to use their share of the Common Fund to assist their constituents.
He emphasised that if an MP for some reason, could not use the money collected from his account at the District Assembly, such money should immediately be returned to the assembly without delay.
He explained that if an MP wants to use the fund to assist any community in his constituency, he should first apply to the District Chief Executive (DCE) concerned for approval.
After the application, the MP should go for invoices from suppliers whose items he intends buying for the particular projects and submit invoices to the assembly for the finance and other schedule officers to work on them for final approval.
From there a cheque would be issued in the name of the selected supplier or organisation for the supply of items or services.
The items should be sent to the stores for the district assembly for the necessary documentation and a waybill from the assembly's stores would be issued to the MP to enable him send the items to the community he wants to assist.
The recipient community should also issue a receipt or a document to confirm receiving the particular items.
The Minister made it clear that it is very wrong and improper for any MP to act contrary to the laid-down procedure and warned all MPs to act accordingly.
The Minority Spokesman on Local Government and Rural Development who is also the MP for Fanteakwa, Hon. Ofosu Ampofo, corroborated the Ministers explanation, adding that where it is evident that the MP must find cash to assist the constituents, through such activities as fund raising harvests, he must collect the cheque in the name of the community and further collect a receipt from the community assisted to the assembly's Director of Finance (DFO) for audit purposes.
He stated that it is not proper and safe in financial administration for an MP to collect a cheque from his or her share of the Common Fund in his or her name and further keep it, no matter how well-intended, the action might be.
The Honourable MP advised the new MPs in the house to consult and study from the old ones to enable them operate within the law.
He also advised his colleague MPs that if the monies they collect from the assembly turns out to be inadequate for the intended project they may consider diverting the monies to another project but only after due notification of the assembly.
Chronicle sought the views of the two gentlemen following the paper's front page publication on October 30, this year titled "MP Fails to Account for ?10million" and the MP, Dr. William Boakye Akoto's rejoinder on November 11 edition of the paper in which he explained among other things that the money had not been utilized and was still with him.
In the said story, Chronicle published an Audit Service report on the Birim North District Assembly, accusing the MP of failing to account for ?10,051,000 he collected from the assembly over 14 months ago to rehabilitate some schools at Akoase, his hometown whose roofs were ripped off during a rainstorm which hit the town.
Contrary to the laid-down procedures enumerated by the sector minister, Dr. Akoto got the cheques for the project to be issued jointly in the name of the suppliers and his. He, Akoto, then cashed the ?10.05m and, to-date, he is keeping the money.
