Public Agenda

Assembly fund?Billions stolen

The Public Agenda alleges that though district chief executives and other officials of district assemblies have squandered and continue to squander billions of cedis that could have gone into making life better for many Ghanaians, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Kwamena Ahwoi says dismissing them is enough. They will not be prosecuted.

The paper in a lead story says this sharply contrasts with an earlier warning by vice-president, Prof. John Atta Mills that those found guilty of such offences will be prosecuted.

The Public Agenda says Prof. Mills had told 27 new district chief executives that "severe sanctions, not excluding criminal prosecution, would be imposed on any district chief executive caught dipping his hands into the District Assemblies? Common Fund or any funds of the assemblies".

The Minister is reported as saying that even though he is aware that district chief executives can be prosecuted if found to have embezzled funds, he conceded that none of them has so far been prosecuted since the inception of the Fund. "Of all the so-called corruption talk about the district assemblies, if you look into the Auditor-General?s report, the total comes to less than 2%", he is quoted as saying.