Why is Alima Mahama being asked to pay for expenses outside her tenure? – Jinapor

The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has questioned why former Ghanaian Ambassador to the United States, Alima Mahama, is being asked to pay for expenses at the embassy that were incurred before she took office and after she left.

This follows a Special Audit Report by the Auditor-General on the Ghana Embassy in Washington covering the period from January 2017 to June 2025, which examined alleged financial and operational irregularities at the mission.

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Following the report, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, wrote to Hajia Alima Mahama demanding a refund of monies cited in the audit.

However, in response, Jinapor said the demand raises questions about the legal basis for holding the former ambassador responsible for expenditure outside her period of service.

He also questioned the procedure used by the Foreign Affairs Minister to demand payment from Mahama, arguing that the process could affect her right to appeal against the surcharge.

“Article 187 of our national Constitution establishes the Office of the Auditor-General and guarantees its independence. The power of disallowance and surcharge following an audit is vested solely in the Auditor-General under Article 187(7),” a statement issued by the Minority caucus on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, said.

According to Jinapor, the procedure adopted by the Foreign Affairs Minister does not follow the process set out in the Constitution.

“The procedure adopted by the Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs seeks to circumvent this laid procedure and curtail the former Ambassador's appeal against surcharges,” the statement said.

He further said the audit report did not indicate that the amounts being demanded were incurred only during Mahama’s tenure.

“Nowhere in the audit report is it suggested that the amounts being demanded occurred only during the tenure of Ms. Mahama,” the statement said.

Jinapor therefore questioned why the former ambassador should be held responsible for expenses incurred outside her tenure.

“Why will the former Ambassador be held accountable for matters that occurred prior to her assumption of office and those that occurred after leaving office?” he asked.

He also said no personal or joint liability had been established against Mahama.

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“This demand is, also, being made on the former Ambassador when no personal or joint liability has been established against her,” the statement added.

Hajia Alima Mahama was appointed Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States in June 2021. She had previously served as Minister for Local Government and Rural Development from 2017 to 2021.

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