‘Where did the GH¢780m go?’ – Manasseh Azure backs forensic audit into COVID fumigation

Investigative journalist and Coordinator of the Pledge Against Corruption, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has backed calls for a forensic audit into Ghana’s COVID-19 expenditure, following discrepancies over the amount spent on fumigation during the pandemic.

Awuni said a forensic audit is needed to establish the full extent of the expenditure and determine what may have gone wrong in the management of COVID-19 funds.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, he said he agreed with calls from some Members of Parliament, including former Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman James Klutse Avedzi and Kofi Amankwa-Manu, for a forensic audit.

“I think I agree with some MPs, including Kofi Amankwa-Manu, and even James Klutse Avedzi, who was a past chairman of PAC, that there should be a forensic audit to be able to establish the scope of expenditure and what may have gone wrong with the COVID-19 funds,” he said.

The call follows an investigation by Awuni which found a significant gap between the fumigation expenditure reported in the Auditor-General’s special audit and figures contained in government documents.

The Auditor-General’s special audit, which covered COVID-19 transactions from March 2020 to June 2022, reported GH¢96.3 million for fumigation and disinfection of educational institutions.

However, Awuni’s investigation identified at least GH¢780 million in fumigation expenditure across the Ministries of Education, Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, and Transport.

He questioned why government agencies spent hundreds of millions of cedis on fumigation when, according to him, existing contracts and capacity were already available to provide such services.

“The suspicion is in twofold. One, Ghana didn't have to spend a pesewa on that fumigation, because the scientists said it was not necessary, and if it was necessary, we already had enough contracts and capacity to have done it. No single pesewa should have been spent,” he said.

Awuni also questioned why the expenditure by some ministries was not reflected in the Auditor-General’s reported fumigation figure.

He cited the Ministry of Local Government, which his investigation found spent about GH¢299 million on three phases of market fumigation between April and November 2020. The Audit Service has reportedly confirmed that the ministry was among institutions covered by the COVID-19 expenditure audit.

According to Awuni, this raises questions about the scope and methodology of the special audit and whether all relevant expenditure was properly captured.

“So if auditors go into this and then that service has been rendered and so much money was paid, I expected them to have questioned whether it was necessary and what had become of the existing contracts,” he said.

He further suggested that the total COVID-19 fumigation expenditure could be higher than GH¢780 million if spending by other government institutions is examined.

Awuni said a forensic audit should therefore establish the full amount spent, examine the contracts involved and determine why significant expenditure was incurred despite existing arrangements for fumigation services.

“So why did we have to spend all this money when we already had contracts that we paid for to do such services?” he questioned.

The discrepancies have prompted calls for further clarification from the Audit Service. Vice Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, Davis Ansah Opoku, has said the immediate priority should be for the Audit Service to explain why expenditure by the Ministries of Local Government and Transport was not captured in the reported fumigation figure.

ID/VPO