Public Accounts Committee Hearing begins in Tamale

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has commenced sitting in Tamale to consider the 2020 Auditor General’s Report on Technical Universities and the Management and Utilisation of District Assemblies’ Common Fund for the year which ended December 31, 2020.

A statement issued by the Public Affairs Directorate of Parliament and copied to the Ghana News Agency said other Statutory Funds were being considered by PAC for the year which ended December 31, 2020, in the Northern, North East, Upper East, Upper West and the Savana Regions.

It said the report was a consolidation of the significant findings and recommendations emanating from the Auditor General’s routine audits of the 10 Technical Universities in the country and covers the period January 1 to December 31,2020.

It noted that the Committee’s work had been divided into four Zones; Northern, Middle, Central and Southern zones.

It said Hilla Limann, Bolgatanga and Tamale Technical Universities had management issues, including failure to seek approval from Central Review Committee, non-use of the Ghana Intergrated Financial Management Information System, un-receipted school fees and under-deduction of rent.

The statement said the Committee also found that Bolgatanga Technical University auctioned the University’s vehicles without approval from the required authority.

It said officials from the same institution were also found by the Auditor General’s report transferring funds to undisclosed SDF project account.

Dr James Klutse Avedzi, the Chairman of the Committee, urged public institutions to ensure that they worked in accordance with the Public Procurement Laws and the Financial Management Act to avoid violating the laws that could result in sanctions.

The statement said most of these institutions had been made to refund various sums of funds misappropriated to the government within two weeks.

It said the Committee would spend six days in the Northern Zone before moving to the Middle Zone in the Bono East Region and the Savana Regions.