Mahama urged to order independent audit of South Africa evacuation spending
The political analyst says an external audit could address questions about spending on the evacuation of Ghanaians. The Minority alleges discrepancies in the accounts and has demanded Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s resignation.
Political analyst Dr Jebuntie Zaato has urged President John Dramani Mahama to commission a private auditing firm to examine spending on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa following xenophobic attacks.
The senior lecturer said an independent review could help address concerns raised by the Minority in Parliament about the accounting for evacuees, payments and supporting documents.
The Minority has called for an independent audit and demanded the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Speaking on TV3’s New Day programme, The Big Issue, on Wednesday, October 28, Dr Zaato questioned why the president had not commissioned an external review.
“Why is the President dragging his feet?” he asked.
He argued that using a private firm could help address possible objections from critics about the independence of an investigation conducted by the Auditor-General.
“If I appoint the Auditor-General and I bring the Auditor-General to investigate or audit something so important to the Minority, then they may say it is a cabal,” he said.
His remarks concerned how critics might perceive such a process; he did not present evidence that the Auditor-General would conduct a compromised audit.
Dr Zaato urged Mahama to respond to the demands for scrutiny by inviting a private firm to examine the expenditure and establish how public money had been used.
He drew a comparison with the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, citing audits connected to the National Cathedral controversy and the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) deal.
According to Dr Zaato, those cases offered examples of using external auditors to examine concerns about public expenditure.
“Mr. President you can copy and learn from Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,” he said.
“When such things were made, he commissioned an independent private firm to audit.”
Dr Zaato also linked his demand to Mahama’s stated commitments to fighting corruption and addressing actions or omissions that cause losses to the state.
The concerns outlined by the Minority relate to the evacuation accounts, including the number of people evacuated, payments and the documents supporting expenditure.
It also contains no response from the presidency or Mr Ablakwa to Dr Zaato’s comments or the Minority’s allegations.