Some heads of public institutions come to the public Accounts Committee of parliament (PAC) to lie even under oath, Chairman of the committee Dr James Klutse Avedzi has said.
The unhappy chairman took issues with the headmaster of St. Charles seminary Senior High School in Tamale, Mr Polycarp Kuusokub at its first seating Monday that the continue peddling of falsehood by public servants who appeared before was worrying.
According to him, most of them come to the committee to tell lies because their representations were not really what happens on the grounds.
’’Is becoming worrying that issues that are reported over and over and recommendations made by the Auditor General seems to be palling but we keep on also having the same infractions in the report and is a worrying trend’’ Dr Avedzi lamented.
The PAC chairman got infuriated after the headmaster had difficulties in explaining himself when he was asked to explain circumstances that led to the school owing utility service providers (water and electricity).
Mr Polycarp told the committee that the bills from the period in question was send to the regional education directorate for payment. But his response immediately attracted the regional director of education, Dr Peter Atefuah who was seating not far from him to explain the lapses and essentially exonerate himself.
Dr Atefauh told the committee that he has not sighted any bills from the school after taken over the region almost a year now. He was made to amend his earlier statements, retract and apologized.
Dr James Avedzi who is also the Member of Parliament for Ketu Noth in the Volta region expressed worried about the continue infractions being perpetrated by the institutions in spite of clear several warnings from the auditor general report. According to PAC chairman, some heads of institutions appeared before the committee with sole motive of lying.
Dr James Klutse Avedzi was alarmed by continue irregularities ranging from what he called the usual areas such as cash, rent where separated staff still leaves in bungalows without paying rent, tax and VAT and withholding tax, contracts among other irregularities.
He told the media that even though the committee has the power of a high court, it is not biting strong and suggested for more powers to deal with public servants going against auditor general reports.
The committee will be scrutinized Auditor General 2017 Report for five regions of the north- Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper West and Upper East. The seating which commences at the modern city hotel will focus on Technical Universities and polytechnics as well as pre-tertiary educational institutions (SHSs) and colleges of education.
The committee will within the five-days look into the management and utilization of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies’ common fun.
’’Probably we are not biting too strongly and that’s why we have been saying that PAC should be give more powers to enable them take action against certain people to serve as deterrent to the rest; the committee can only made recommendations to the house and when the house approved it, it then goes back to the various institutions cited for implementations of the recommendations which also takes about 3 months. The powers of parliament which is legislative body and also playing oversite role on the executives’’ Dr Avedzi stated. He continues, the powers that we want as PAC is powers that can take some immediate actions against officers telling lies before the committee. The committee he added can also recommended an officer for perjury for the person to write his statement for executives to take over to prosecute but if PAC is empowered locked-up officers, officers appearing before the committee will sit-up.