OccupyGhana hails constitutional independence of Auditor-General in Osafo Maafo’s US$1 million surcharge

OccupyGhana says it has closely followed the story about the Auditor-General disallowing a US$1 million payment and surcharging the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo with that amount.

In a statement issued Thursday, [December 12, 2019], OccupyGhana said it has also seen a statement dated 11th December 2019, issued by the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo in which he states his disagreement with the Disallowance and Surcharge and communicates his intention to challenge them in court.

We do not think that these momentous developments in our history ought to pass without comment.”

“This is probably the first time in this Fourth Republic (and possibly in Ghana’s political history) that an Auditor-General has dared to issue a Disallowance and then Surcharge a minister; and no less a minister than the Senior Minister.”

“We do not know as yet the legal route that the Senior Minister plans to take in his promised challenge. However, if it is an appeal under the new Order 54A of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (CI 47), then we are even more gratified because we were proud to work on and submit the original draft that gestated into the Bill, which was adopted by the Rules of Court Committee and passed by Parliament as the High Court (Civil Procedure) (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules, 2016 (CI 102), and which we have happily named “the OccupyGhana Rules,” OccupyGhana added.

It added: “We believe that in the final analysis, if the Auditor-General erred in the Disallowance and Surcharge against the Senior Minister, the court will say so. However, if he was right, the court will also say so and hold the Senior Minister liable to pay the money paid under the transaction to the state.

“That is democracy. That is constitutionalism. That is the rule of law. Ultimately, when the story of Ghana is told, it ought to end with three words: “…and Ghana won.”.
Yours in the service of God and Country.

Source:Fiilafmonline/Graphic