The Auditor General has uncovered almost a billion cedis loss to the state through financial irregularities perpetrated by some top officials at the Ministries, Departments and Agencies and management of some State Corporations.
Details of these irregularities are contained in the 2017 Auditor General’s report and show how millions of Ghana cedis in internally generated funds failed to make it to state coffers.
For instance, the report details how a total of GH¢103 million have so far been lost to the state because assorted items were taken out of GRA customs bonded warehouses without paying duties by State actors.
So far, the Auditor General has recommended that the unpaid duty is recovered together with its associated penalties by the Commissioner-General.
He also recommends that the resident customs officers are sanctioned to serve as a deterrent to others.
Education
The Auditor General accuses former Deputy Minister of Education, Elizabeth Amoah-Tetteh of illegally holding on to her official vehicle, years after leaving government.
According to the report three officers between 2014 and 2017 who left the Education Ministry took along with them their official vehicles – two of the vehicles were returned except for one Honda Accord in the possession of Madam Amoah- Tetteh, the former Deputy Minister.
The AG has directed the Education Ministry to recover the vehicle.
Health
It was also reported that two Budget Management Centres (BMCs) and seven Health Institutions at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as at 30 June 2016 collected maintenance fees totalling GH¢476,000 but paid only GH¢212,000 to the state leaving more than GH¢200,000 outstanding.
Management of the hospital have been asked to pay the difference to the state, directing that failure to do so would lead to a process to surcharge management of the premier hospital.
Agriculture
At the Ministry of Agriculture the report found that many of the people given state purchased agricultural machinery on hire purchase have failed to make payments totaling more than GH¢1.6 million cedis.
