The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has referred 12 public institutions, including the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and Ridge Hospital, to the Attorney General’s Department for prosecution over their failure to recover public funds lost through financial irregularities cited in the Auditor-General’s Report.
The decision follows what the Committee described as “deliberate disobedience” of its directive for the affected entities to retrieve and refund the missing funds within 30 days.
During the Committee’s sitting on Monday, November 3, Ranking Member Samuel Atta-Mills, who is also the Member of Parliament for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem, said the PAC had no option but to escalate the matter to the Attorney General for legal action.
“I would recommend those people who haven’t responded or done it within 30 days to the Attorney General for prosecution — it’s just that simple,” Mr. Atta-Mills said.
“We’ll wait for those who have 60 and 90 days, but as for the rest, maybe they would like to enjoy sitting in court.”
The move marks a decisive shift in Parliament’s enforcement of financial accountability, signaling that audit breaches will no longer end as administrative reprimands but as criminal cases against non-compliant officials.
According to Assistant Auditor-General Michael Addo, the institutions involved failed to act even after being summoned before the PAC and ordered to recover various sums lost through unearned salaries, unretired imprest, and questionable payments.
Their inaction, he said, directly violates the Public Financial Management Act and the PAC’s post-hearing directives—measures designed to safeguard public funds and ensure fiscal discipline.
The referral to the Attorney General, in line with Article 187(5) of the 1992 Constitution, empowers the state to initiate criminal proceedings against any public official or institution found culpable of causing financial loss or failing to comply with recovery orders.
Although the full list of the 12 institutions was not immediately disclosed, sources indicate that it spans several Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), with the total amount involved estimated to run into tens of millions of Ghana cedis.
The prosecution of officials from KATH, Ridge Hospital, and the other entities is expected to achieve two key objectives:
- Deter future misconduct: Send a strong signal to public institutions that audit infractions carry criminal consequences.
- Enforce recovery: Ensure that misappropriated or unaccounted public funds are returned to the state for critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
The Attorney General’s Department is now reviewing the evidence submitted by the PAC and the Ghana Audit Service to begin formal prosecution of the implicated officials.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
