The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, through its work, has helped to retrieve public funds of close to GH¢12.7, the Chairperson of the committee, Abena Osei-Asare, has said.

She said the committee collaborated with the Audit Service and the Auditor-General to recover the amount.

Mrs Osei-Asare did not specify when the said amount was recovered, but reiterated that the committee's efforts are aimed at protecting public funds and ensuring accountability. She added that the details of the retrieved funds would be shared with Ghanaians when Parliament resumes.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Atiwa East disclosed this in an interview at the end of the committee's two-day sitting at the Parliament House last Tuesday.

The two-day sitting was to consider reports of the Auditor-General on the Bank of Ghana, the Ghana Revenue Authority, and some institutions under the Transport and Education ministries.

Transparency

The Chairperson of the PAC stressed that the committee’s work was to promote transparency, prevent infractions and inform citizens about how their taxes are utilised.

She urged Ghanaians to pay their taxes and hold officials accountable for the utilisation of public funds.

"I believe that the people of Ghana deserve to know what we use their taxes for. They deserve to know whether an infraction has been cited or not, they deserve to know what we use their taxes for, their hard-earned money that we take in the form of taxes, what we use it for," she said.

Mrs Osei-Asare expressed optimism that with time, infractions would reduce drastically through accountability and sanctions.

She noted that the committee has concluded most of the 2024 Auditor-General reports, except for two, which require visits outside Accra.

The outstanding reports, she said, include those on metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), as well as pre-tertiary and secondary schools.

She said the committee planned to schedule regional visits to complete these audits, after which it would bring an end to all the 2024 Auditor-General reports.

Mrs Osei-Asare thanked the media for their role in informing Ghanaians about the work of the committee to ensure transparency, accountability and value for money.

She called for a unified front from all Ghanaians to help retrieve public funds that cannot be accounted for by public officials under whose care these monies have been entrusted.

Appearing before the committee on the first day of its sitting last Monday, the committee directed the management of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) to recover an amount of GH¢2,075,214.32 from five officers of the institute who were sponsored to pursue doctorate programmes overseas, but did not return to post after the end of their studies.

The said officers are Afua Attaa Boakyewaa, Christiana Osei Bonsu, Annshirley Aba Appiaatse, Julius Quarshie Azasoo and Dr Hansen Addy.

The committee further suggested that the officers involved should be reported to the various Ghana missions abroad to enable them to retrieve the funds.

She suggested that once a formal report was made, anytime the defaulters went to the embassies to renew their visas or passports, they should be refused to compel them to refund the money.