Bolgatanga Central MP Isaac Adongo said Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta was not sure about the details he shared with Parliament on Wednesday when he calculated the country's cost of COVID-19.
Speaking to Eyewitness News, the legislature said there was a need for further investigation to determine the true value of government revenue and expenditure.
“I do not know how this man [Ken Ofori-Atta] thought he would just come and grab [us] and run away. No wonder he was running away from accountability and Parliament all this time. Candidates have openly stated that they have been allocated COVID funds to use, however most of these funds did not come as free money. People cannot hide behind COVID to rob a public fund. They should be held accountable for this and when this system opens up, it is better to seek the credibility of Parliament and the government structure we have set for ourselves, ”he said.
A few in Parliament have argued on Wednesday that they want an interim parliamentary committee to investigate government spending, other than the account given to the finance minister.
But the leader of the public, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, argued that the Auditor-General's office would be the best center for auditing.
Isaac Adongo, who is also the Deputy Member of Parliament's Finance Committee, challenged the view that the Auditor-General does not have the capacity to perform a full function as his job only involves assessing the cost of ministers, departments and agencies and not special events such as COVID-19 costs.
“The argument that the Auditor-General will audit the accounts is sufficient [wrong]. The Auditor-General does not generate any special account for COVID-19 and related revenue and expenses. It only reports the total government expenditure and revenue from the Minister, Departments and Agencies. ”
“At the moment, we are not looking at those numbers, we are looking at revenue or aggregation of all costs and expenses in relation to the activities of COVID-19 and there is no way that the Auditor-General's reports cannot address those issues so that special arrangements can be made. I am pleased that the Speaker has agreed to this investigation as a special matter, ”he added.
He further indicated that the Speaker's final decision on the investigation of health and finance committees on expenditure would be sufficient.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0