PAC begins public hearing in Tamale

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has started meeting in Tamale to discuss the Auditor General’s Report on Technical Universities for the year ended December 31, 2020, as well as the Reports on the Management and Utilization of District Assemblies’ Common Fund and Other Statutory Funds for the same year in the Northern, North East, Upper East, Upper West, and Savana Regions.

The report, which covers the period from 1 January to 31 December 2020, is a compilation of the key conclusions and recommendations from the Auditor General’s routine audits of the nation’s 10 technical universities.

The Northern, Middle, Central, and Southern Zones make up the four (4) zones into which the Committee has split its activities.

Dr. Hilla Limann, Bolgatanga and Tamale Technical Universities had management issues, including failure to seek approval from Central Review Committee, non use of the Ghana Intergrated Financial Management Information System, un-receipted school fees and under-deduction of rent.

The Committee also discovered that Bolgatanga Technical University sold its vehicles at auction without getting permission from the appropriate parties. According to the Auditor General’s investigation, officials from the same institution were also discovered moving money to an unnamed SDF project account.

In order to avoid breaking the law and facing penalties, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. James Klutse Avedzi, asked public institutions to make sure they operated in line with the Financial Management Act and the Public Procurement Laws.

These institutions must return varied amounts of misused money to the government within two (2) weeks in the majority of cases.

Before traveling to the Middle Zone in the Bono East Region and the Savana Regions, the Committee will stay in the Northern Zone for six (6) days.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com