Unpunished thievery will cripple economy – Bagbin

Majority Leader, Alban Sumana Bagbin has bemoaned the lack of political will to punish persons and institutions indicted in the Auditor General’s report.

Individuals and institutions have on countless occasions been faulted for embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds.

In the 2013 report presented to Parliament on Tuesday by the Auditor General, the energy ministry, the petroleum commission and the Savannah Accelerated development authority have been indicted for spending monies which were not approved.

The Electoral Commission has also been indicted in the report for being unable to account for over 1.6 million Ghana Cedis it spent on allowances.

Mr. Bagbin told Starr FM’s Parliamentary Correspondent, Kobby Gomez Mensah that these anomalies persist because public and civil servants lack the capacity to discharge their duties professionally.

He said such acts of thievery, if left unpunished will cripple the economy.

“The lack of strengthening of the institutions including the capacity building of officers of the various MDAs is what is leading to the repetition of these malfeasance, misappropriation, embezzlement and sometimes outright thievery.

“Again, sanctions that are to be meted out by the Executive are not also being followed through, and that is what is leading to this repetition and it looks like we are all being branded as not being effective,” Bagbin said.

The Nadowli-Kaleo MP added: “But the role that is played by Parliament is what I just outlined, it is for us to scrutinize it, go through it, make the necessary recommendations…but when it comes to implementation, it is the ambit of the executive arm and not that of Parliament”.