The Auditor-General is yet to find records of payment back into state coffers after it emerged that the Gomoa East District Assembly has not presented documents to auditors to support the payment of GH₵81,000 which was spent on the funeral of a former District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area in 2015.
According to the 2015 Auditor General’s report, the budget for the funeral of the late DCE, Kingsley Ahunu-Armah shot up from the initial GH₵9000 to GH₵81,259 with a breakdown of GH₵21,000 from the Internally Generated Fund and GH₵59,000 from the District Assembly Common Fund.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee hearing on Tuesday in Takoradi, Accountant for the Assembly, Ebenezer Mensah justified the difference in expenditure.
The accountant told members of the committee the rationale for these expenditure; “The late Ahunu-Armah died whiles serving the office and for that matter some of the issues that were treated as protocol: office represented, regional minister and the whole government entourage were represented, and that probably ballooned the initial projected expenses.
The Assembly took steps to get that money to spend on the items that the capital expenditure, which otherwise has been taken care of by the Common Fund by the IGF and they will have evidence to show to that effect.
On whether they have paid the money back from the DACF account, he maintained that they do not pay directly into the DACF account and added that it was management’s decision that the budget lines for Common Fund expenditure be funded by IGF.
Furthermore, the Auditor-General’s 2015 report, also observed that there was a budget overrun on the District Chief Executive’s funeral, to the tune of GH₵12,007.00
Management accepts the above observation and explains that the overrun expenditure was met out from the contingency and other budget lines from the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) budget approved by the General Assembly.
Additionally, all expenses pertaining to the expenses were authorized and approved.
Hitherto, Agona West, Ekumfi, Mfantseman and Effutu district assemblies had appeared before the Public Accounts Committee hearing.
PAC has already carried out similar hearings in five regions, including Northern region, Upper East, Upper West, Brong Ahafo, and Ashanti regions.
Next up for the public hearing will be in Accra where they will continue with the remaining three regions.
