The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has referred the management of E.P College of Education at Bimbila in the Northern Region to the Attorney-General’s Department for possible prosecution over financial irregularities exceeding GH¢1.3 million.
The action follows revelations contained in the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report, which found that the college made multiple payments without the required supporting documentation to validate the transactions.
According to the Committee, the infractions involve unsupported payments totalling GH¢1,356,944. These include expenditures on food supplies, materials for water projects, stationery for publicity activities, and costs linked to an internal review exercise conducted at a hotel.
Assembly Directed to Refund Funds
In a related directive, the Committee ordered the Nanumba South District Assembly to refund GH¢19,772 spent on fuel purchases without receipts within 30 days.
PAC stressed that the refund must be made personally by the officials responsible and not from the Assembly’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF).
PAC Expresses Concern Over Breaches
At a public hearing in Tamale as part of its review of the Auditor-General’s Report, Vice Chairman of the Committee, Samuel Atta-Mills, criticised the college’s management for failing to provide the necessary documentation.
He described the situation as a serious violation of financial regulations and an unacceptable lapse in accountability.
“The infraction is unsupported payments to the tune of GH¢1,356,944. We noted that management made payments exceeding one million cedis but could not provide the relevant receipts to authenticate them,” he stated.
He warned that such practices undermine transparency in the use of public funds and indicated that the Committee would not hesitate to recommend sanctions against defaulting institutions.
Warning of Sanctions
Chairperson of the Committee, Abena Osei-Asare, also emphasised that breaches of financial and procurement regulations would attract strict consequences, including possible prosecution.
“When it comes to procurement issues, we will not sit and deliberate on them; we will refer such cases directly to the Attorney-General to take action,” she said.
She added that failure to produce supporting documents for expenditures constitutes a breach of public financial management rules and erodes public trust.
College Responds
Responding to the concerns, the college’s Finance Officer, Fuseini Osman, attributed the missing receipts to challenges in retrieving them from suppliers, some of whom were either outside the country or located far from the institution.
He noted that although some receipts were later submitted, concerns were raised about the timing of their issuance.
Officials of the Nanumba South District Assembly also explained that some of the fuel purchases were made for vehicles operating outside the Assembly but providing services to it.
Ongoing Hearings
The PAC is currently undertaking a four-day zonal public hearing in Tamale to examine financial irregularities cited in the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report.
The exercise focuses on the management and utilisation of the District Assemblies Common Fund and Internally Generated Funds across Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West regions.
The hearings form part of broader efforts to strengthen financial oversight and ensure accountability in the use of public resources.
Source: Wesleyannews.com
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