Two persons who appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday have been arrested over irregularities at the Sefwi Akontombra Assembly in the Western Region.
The two were picked up by officers at the Parliament police station.
The two persons; Isaac Akowaah, a former District Finance Officer of the assembly and James Esilfie, the current District Finance Officer, were accused of conniving to lie to the committee over irregularities cited in the report when they appeared before the committee on Monday morning.
After first meeting officials from the assembly last week, PAC raised questions about some 62 payment vouchers that could not be accounted for.
After further enquiries, PAC could only trace nine of the payment vouchers.
During that meeting, the assembly was asked to recall the former District Finance Officer, who had been transferred outside the district, to reappear on Monday and explain the absence of the vouchers.
After checks with the auditors, following Isaac Akowaah’s testimony, the committee felt that the accounts being given were not adding up.
This thus compelled the PAC Chairman, James Klutse Avedzi, to order the arrests.
“You want to hold the committee to ransom; that the two of [connived] to try and deceive this committee…we are going to lock you up.”
“The police will take a statement from you and that statement will be used against you in the law court. We [the Public Accounts Committee] will not prosecute you. [Instead] The government will take over [this case],” Mr. Avedzi said during the sitting.
The committee is currently considering the Auditor General’s Reports for 2015 and 2016 on the management and utilisation of the District and Municipal Assemblies Common Fund and other statutory funds.
PAC is also expected to consider the report of the Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana on Technical Universities for the period ended 31st December 2016 which will cover the Ho, Accra, Koforidua, Takoradi and Cape Coast Technical Universities.
Other developments from PAC
In its first-week Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies were ordered to appear before the PAC as soon as possible or face sanctions.
They were the Shai Osudoku, La Dadekotopon, Ada West, La Nkwantanang, Ada East, Adenta, Accra Metro and Ga East assemblies.
The committee also sent away officials of the Weija Gbawe Municipal Assembly because they appeared before the committee without their Municipal Chief.
PAC also threatened sanctions against three district assemblies from the Volta Region; North Tongu, Ketu North and South Dayi, which failed to appear before it.
