Financial Irregularities And Corruption In State Institutions 

NEWS COMMENTARY ON FINANCIAL IRREGULARITIES AND CORRUPTION IN STATE INSTITUTIONS AS REVEALED DURING THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE SITTINGS

Revelations about financial irregularities in some government institutions such as the Bank of Ghana and the district assemblies during the sittings of the Public Accounts Committee are shocking. It is baffling how our taxes are used to purchase irrelevant items without going through the procurement processes. It was revealed during one of the sittings that most of the purchases done by the various district health directorates were not done in accordance with the laid down rules. This flagrant violation of the procurement rules is not the best. The GETFund also appeared before the committee with similar shortcomings. In its case,  it was revealed that funded projects were not standardised and were of poor quality resulting in disparities in cost while there was lack of due diligence in the award, monitoring and evaluation of the projects. The Auditor General has in its 2005/2010 Performance Audit report identified lapses in the operations of the GET Fund resulting in inefficiencies and cost over runs. The Auditor General said the GETFund is bedeviled with lack of proper planning and budgeting, inefficient management of project schedules and delays in payment to contractors owing to late release of monies to the Fund by the Ministry of Finance.  According to the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Kweku Agyemang-Manu aside from the challenges, the GETFund Secretariat has also been operating without a Legislative Instrument since its establishment in 2000. This is worrying because it positions the GETFund as a ‘cash cow’ from which all kinds of projects are financed. Even though the latest Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International Initiative singled out Ghana and Senegal as making giant steps towards tackling corruption, there is no doubt that the perception of corruption is still very high among Ghanaians. Indeed, the refusal of state agencies to follow the procurement law is one phenomenon that is fuelling that perception. But judging from revelations from the P.A.C. sittings, one wonders if it is a matter of perception or reality that corruption is rife and endemic in the country. 

We have good laws to tackle corruption but we seem to be lacking when it comes to enforcement. What most people fail to appreciate is what we lose collectively as a nation through corruption. An abridged version of one of the Auditor General's reports published by the Ghana Integrity Initiative revealed that financial irregularities in five ministries between 2009 and 2011 cost the nation some 246.5 million Cedis. One other disturbing fact is the seemingly ineffectiveness of the Audit report Implementation Committees. In fact, section 30 of the Audit Service Act of 2000 (Act 584), provides that bodies and organisations which are subject to audit by the Auditor-General must establish an Audit Report Implementation Committee. The responsibility to ensure that actions are taken on audit findings and sanctions applied where necessary is placed on these committees. 

It is true that the President Mahama led administration has declared its resolve to fight the canker by tasking the Attorney General to prosecute those caught in the act, but the revelations emerging from the various sectors are quite alarming and mere pronouncements are not quite assuring enough. What should be done moving forward is to quickly prosecute public office holders whose actions or inactions have caused the nation a dime as stated by the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Kweku Agyemang-Manu. To quote, Rahul Gandhi, nephew of Mahatma Gandhi, we are all aware that corruption is pervasive, operating at every level. The poor may carry its burden but it is an affliction that every member of society is desperate to be rid of. Going by this quote, there is no doubt that the fight against corruption is not a one man affair but a collective responsibility. Ghanaians can no longer afford to lose any more pesewa to the few greedy ones in charge of our institutions. Karl Kraus was right when he said corruption is worse than prostitution, but while prostitution might endanger the morals of an individual, corruption invariably endangers the morals of the entire country. Let us protect the moral fabric of our nation by eradicating this canker of corruption. God bless Ghana.

BY: EWURABENA PAHA, A JOURNALIST.