Parliament sits next week for PAC hearings

The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament would hold public hearing from next Tuesday to Friday to consider financial infractions against the Bank of Ghana, Food and Drugs Authority and other agencies.

Dr James Klutse Avedzi, the Chairman of the committee said four reports of the Auditor General would be considered.

These are; the Bank of Ghana’s foreign exchange transaction and receipts and payments for the first half year and second half year of 2015, performance reports on disposal of government vehicles by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and performance report on drug use in Ghana by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA)

Dr Avedzi made the announcement during opening of a capacity building workshop organised by the GIZ in Koforidua for members of the Parliamentary Press Corps of Ghana.

The hearings would be the first of the current parliament after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was inaugurated.

The hearings, expected to begin on Tuesday, would focus on four reports of the Auditor General’s Department.

Dr Avedzi, who is also the Deputy Minority Leader said “I believe strongly that when the committee starts sitting on Tuesday 25th of this month to Friday 28th of this month, that sitting will be looking at four reports.

These are Bank of Ghana’s forex exchange transaction and receipt and payment for the first half year and second half year of 2015.

He explained: “These two reports will be [discussed] during this public hearing starting from Tuesday. “We‘ll also look at performance reports on disposal of government vehicles by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Health.

“And lastly we will be taking the performance report on drug use in Ghana by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).”

On the implementation of the recommendations by the Audit General’s in its reports on dealing with the infractions, Dr Avedzi repeated that Parliament has no prosecutorial powers but however would rely on the Audit Committee that replaced the Audit Report Implementation Committee to ensure that necessary recommendations were carried out.

Nana Marfo Amaniampong Deputy Ranking Member of the PAC, appealed to stakeholders to rise up and bring public corruption and malfeasance under check in a manner that it is handling the current galamsey issue.

He was hopeful that the workshop would enhance the capacity of the press corps in the discharge of their duties.

“A lot of people in Ghana got a lot of insight into the work of parliament through the Public Accounts Committee and you are the conduit through which they get these briefings because your reportage in the electronic and print media would enable them to keep abreast with the performance of this important committee.

“So for you to be with us in this place, we are very grateful to you. What we will employ you to do is to really imbibe whatever our consultants are going to tell us so that whatever you give us out there anytime we come for sitting will be nothing but the whole story so that confusions after reportage would be nipped in the bud,” he said.

Nana Agyemang Birikorang, the Dean of the Parliamentary Press corps, pleaded with leadership of the committee to make copies of the Auditor General’s reports readily available to the media to enable them report factually.