The former Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, James Klutse Avedzi, has raised concerns that the non-establishment of a constitutionally mandated committee to enforce the implementation of the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) recommendations is hampering the prosecution of offenders.
He explained that, although the Constitution (Article 1876) provides for a mechanism to facilitate collaboration between the PAC and the Attorney-General to ensure that audit infractions are acted upon, the committee responsible for this function has not been constituted.
He made the remarks during an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, 2 April, amid ongoing PAC proceedings.
“The constitution also make a provision that, after all these, parliament must set up a Special Committee in the interest of the public, that committee will ensure that the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee which have been adopted by the entire House are implemented. That is what we are lacking, that committee has never been set up. Since the inception of constitutional rule, we have never establish that committee, that is where the problem is,” he disclosed.
According to him, this gap in institutional coordination means that recommendations arising from PAC sittings, particularly those based on findings from the Auditor-General of Ghana, often fail to progress to prosecution or enforcement.
“If that committee is there, it will ensure that the recommendations of the public accounts committee which was adopted by the House, Attorney General, you are to prosecute the people, what have you done? go ahead and prosecute the people, then the Attorney General will know that after the public accounts committee reports has been adopted there is another committee that calls to question me,” he explained.
Mr Avedzi noted that in the absence of the committee, many cases presented before the PAC, and subsequently referred to the Attorney-General, appear to stall without further action, thereby weakening accountability within the public financial management system.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com