Foreign missions in alleged financial malfeasance

The latest Auditor-General’s (AG) report has made startling revelations about financial irregularities in some foreign missions.

For example, the report said a former head of mission at the Ghana High Commission at Pretoria, South Africa, consistently failed to refund his share of telephone bills amounting to $11,431 covering December 1997 to August 1999. it said that the recovery of the amount was being pursued.

The report also said that a student on scholarship grant discontinued his course in 1995. it was, therefore, recommended that his guarantor should refund a total of $6,055 spend on him by the government.

At the Freetown Mission in Sierra Leone, 111 passport forms valued at $2,220 received at the Mission in February 1995 could not be accounted for. Two people who were the Consular Officers during the period and who failed to report the status of the passport forms for further action, had been jointly held liable for the loss.

It directed that the matter be pursued for recovery of the amount. Between May 1997 and November 1998, the report said that the Mission granted three officers a total of $3,531 as advances which had since not been recovered. The management had been asked to recover the amount.

At the Cape Coast Food and Agriculture Ministry (MOFA), two Ragout motor cycles valued at ?1.7m issued on credit to two officers on 26 September 1997, had not been paid for at the time of the audit. One had since resigned from the ministry, while the other had retired from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department. It was decided that the amount should be recovered from the two separated staff.

At the Tamale Regional Office of MOFA, it was revealed that 11 individuals who benefited from the credit sales of power tillers in 1996 still owed a total of ?6.5m as at October 2000. The management has been tasked to recover the amount.

At the Veterinary Service Department headquarters in Accra, an examination of the Revolving Fund account revealed that nine regions were indebted to the department to the tune of ?891m in respect of vaccines issued to them for sale to livestock farmers, and therefore the management was tasked to recover the amount.

The latest Auditor-General’s (AG) report has made startling revelations about financial irregularities in some foreign missions.

For example, the report said a former head of mission at the Ghana High Commission at Pretoria, South Africa, consistently failed to refund his share of telephone bills amounting to $11,431 covering December 1997 to August 1999. it said that the recovery of the amount was being pursued.

The report also said that a student on scholarship grant discontinued his course in 1995. it was, therefore, recommended that his guarantor should refund a total of $6,055 spend on him by the government.

At the Freetown Mission in Sierra Leone, 111 passport forms valued at $2,220 received at the Mission in February 1995 could not be accounted for. Two people who were the Consular Officers during the period and who failed to report the status of the passport forms for further action, had been jointly held liable for the loss.

It directed that the matter be pursued for recovery of the amount. Between May 1997 and November 1998, the report said that the Mission granted three officers a total of $3,531 as advances which had since not been recovered. The management had been asked to recover the amount.

At the Cape Coast Food and Agriculture Ministry (MOFA), two Ragout motor cycles valued at ?1.7m issued on credit to two officers on 26 September 1997, had not been paid for at the time of the audit. One had since resigned from the ministry, while the other had retired from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department. It was decided that the amount should be recovered from the two separated staff.

At the Tamale Regional Office of MOFA, it was revealed that 11 individuals who benefited from the credit sales of power tillers in 1996 still owed a total of ?6.5m as at October 2000. The management has been tasked to recover the amount.

At the Veterinary Service Department headquarters in Accra, an examination of the Revolving Fund account revealed that nine regions were indebted to the department to the tune of ?891m in respect of vaccines issued to them for sale to livestock farmers, and therefore the management was tasked to recover the amount.