PAC begins hearings today
The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) would hold public hearing from next Tuesday to Friday to consider financial infractions against the Bank of Ghana (BoG), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and other agencies.
Advertisement
Dr James Klutse Avedzi, the Chairman of the committee, said four reports of the Auditor- General would be considered.
These are the BoG’s foreign exchange transaction and receipts and payments for the first half year and second half year of 2015, performance reports on disposal of government vehicles by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and performance report on drug use in Ghana by the FDA.
Dr Avedzi made the announcement during the opening of a capacity-building workshop organised by the GIZ in Koforidua for members of the Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC).
The hearings would be the first of the current Parliament since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government was inaugurated.
The hearings, expected to begin on Tuesday, would focus on four reports of the Auditor- General’s Department.
He explained: “These two reports will be discussed during the public hearing.” “We‘ll also look at performance reports on the disposal of government vehicles by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Health.”
“And lastly we will be taking the performance report on drug use in Ghana by the FDA.”
On the implementation of the recommendations by the Auditor- General’s reports on dealing with the infractions, Dr Avedzi repeated that Parliament has no prosecutorial powers but, however, would rely on the Audit Committee that replaced the Audit Report Implementation Committee to ensure that necessary recommendations were carried out.
Nana Marfo Amaniampong, Deputy Ranking Member of the PAC, appealed to stakeholders to rise up and bring public corruption and malfeasance under check in a manner that it is handling the current galamsey issue.
He said he was hopeful that the workshop would enhance the capacity of the press corps in the discharge of their duties.