Ofori-Atta can’t explain how coronavirus funds were utilized; rather Auditor General

The floor of Parliament is not the appropriate place for the Finance Minister Mr Ken Ofori-Atta to render an account of how the COVID-19 funds were utilised, Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah, Chair of the Finance Committee of Parliament, has said.

He said it is not even the duty of the Finance Minister to report to parliament how the funds were utilized, rather the auditor general.

The Finance Minister, he explained, will submit his report to the office of the Auditor General for further auditing and assessment by the Auditor General.

After auditing the expenditure, the Auditor General will then submit his report which captures how the COVID-19 funds were utilized, to parliament.

There have been calls to the Finance Minister to explain how the funds have been disbursed. The Government set up a National Covid-19 Trust Fund which has so far received millions of Ghana cedis as donations from Ghanaians to fight the virus.

Dr Assibey-Yeboah told journalists in Accra on Tuesday July 21 that it is not in the hands of the Finance Minister to render an account to parliament on the COVID-19 funds especially as he prepares to present the mid-year budget review statement to the House on Thursday July 23.

He said: “So I hear people say the Minister should come and account for the coronavirus money. This is not the place for that things.

“In this country all our expenditures at the end of the year, we submit it to the Auditor General, he vets it, he audits it and then he submits an account back to parliament on how we have expended.

“So how can the minister who has been given money himself come and say I am accounting for this?

“It is for the auditor general to vet the accounts and come and submit a report to parliament so this is not the place for that.”