Parliament scolds Finance Ministry for failing to retrieve GHC3.8m two years after judgement

A member of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, Samuel Nartey George, has descended on the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) for their inability to trace and retrieve a $3.8 million judgment debt awarded to the country against Dunkwa Continental Mining Co. Ltd.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee hearing on the report on Monday, 13 August 2018, Deputy Finance Minister Abena Osei Asare; and Controller and Accountant General, Eugene Asante Ofosu-Hene both stated that the follow-up was out of their control after the international court gave its order.

According Eugene Asante Ofosuhene, “the clause Minister of Justice came up with was that they were unable to trace the company to its location even though they were pursuing the case. At a point they said they could not trace the company so we as the government accountant what else can we do?”

He added that his outfit is waiting on the Attorney General to “actually” come to a conclusion.

Abena Osei Asare, on the other hand, averred that although the judgement was in the country’s favour, the office of the Auditor General wrote to the Attorney General in 2017 to signal the green light to fish out Directors and shareholders of the mining company to serve them the judgment.

However, she stated that their efforts proved futile despite hiring Lawyers to get to the root of the situation.

“On this case judgement was given in our favour. We understand the auditors have written to the Attorney General and they are trying to look for the company, look for the Directors and then serve the judgement on them.”

She further stated that, “auditors have stated here but this is something that happened in 2016 and in 2017 the auditors wrote to the Attorney General and then they said they are finding it difficult to serve the company with this judgement.”

Sam George, challenging their stance said it was no excuse because the company in question was represented by legal council in court and was not a default judgement.

He admonished the MoF and CAGD to liaise with the lawyers of the mining company to help trace their clients.

“I mean the excuse that the company is no longer in existence is really not turntable if we really want to go after the company because they were represented by a legal Council,” the Ningo-Prampram MP reiterated.

The Deputy Finance Minister, nonetheless stated that the Attorney General is doing everything possible to see to it that judgement is served to Dunkwa Continental Mining Company Limited and “what is due us, we believe we will pursue it.”