Auditors urged to uphold integrity in their work - Eric Opoku

Auditors have been counseled to exhibit a high sense of integrity and guard against the temptation to yield to emotionalism and conflict of interest in the discharge of their duties.

Mr. Eric Opoku, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, who gave the advice said their job was very crucial to the economic growth or otherwise of the country and thus required a high sense of professionalism, conscientiousness, transparency and diligence.

Addressing the opening session of the maiden Regional Auditors conference of the Audit Service on Wednesday in Sunyani, Mr. Opoku emphasized that auditing was an indispensable tool to check the dissipation of public funds through the infusion discipline and the requisite control mechanisms in the disbursement of the public purse.

The three-day national conference is on the theme “The Role of Regional Auditor in the Achievement of the Auditor-General’s Mandate” was attended by 35 participants including three members of the Audit Service Board and human resource staff of the Service.

It was aimed at building and improving the capacity of participants to enhance team work and effective relationship with Management for better service delivery.

Mr. Opoku said despite the overwhelming success achieved by the Service, the public sector was still confronted with pockets of allegations of corruption, embezzlement, misappropriation and mismanagement of public funds by public officials.

This, unpleasant situation, the Regional Minister said, had created the scenario for the media and the general public to criticize the government and therefore tasked Auditors to not to connive with corrupt public officials to escape justice but to conduct effective investigations which would pave way for them to face the law.