Member of Parliament for Builsa South Dr. Clement Apaak has taken a swipe at President Akufo-Addo describing his comments on the Covid-19 expenditure as dishonourable.
He said the president failed to be candid, transparent, and accountable to the people.
The MP noted that there are clear indications and evidence to prove that some misapplication and misappropriation were recorded on the covid-19 expenditure.
However, delivering his State of the Nation Address the president claimed that there was nothing dishonorable done in the expenditure of Covid-19.
Mr. Speaker, it is precisely because the economic fallout from the pandemic is so widespread and long lasting that it is important to show clearly that the COVID funds were not misused. It is critical that we do not lose the confidence of the people that a crisis that they were led to believe we were all in together was abused for personal gain.
Mr Speaker, it was Government that asked for the COVID funds to be audited, and I can assure this House that nothing dishonourable was done with the COVID funds. The responses from the Ministers for Health and Finance, on January 23 and 25, 2023, respectively, have sufficiently laid to rest the queries from the Auditor General’s report, and I believe any objective scrutiny of these statements from the Health and Finance Ministries would justify this conclusion.”
But Dr. Apaak is of the view that the President peddled falsehood.
He insisted that the government has been reckless in spending on Covid-19.
He warned that the next NDC government will prosecute all those found culpable or engaged in corruption related activities during the Covid-19 outbreak.
He tweeted “NADAA the Chief Clearing Agent has cleared his appointees even before the PAC sits on the Covid-19 expenditure Audit Report. You now get why Dame, Kyei etc attacked the Auditor General for publishing the report? No worries, JM will probe and punish the chop chop of COVID funds.”
In January this year, Dr. Apaak slammed President Akufo-Addo describing his posture on the Covid-19 audit report as unfortunate.
He referenced the President of Malawi who recently protected some appointees who were engaged in corruption, malfeasance, and misappropriation of COVID-19 funds.
In an opinion piece, the lawmaker indicated that “The President doesn’t seem interested in the content of the COVID-19 expenditure Auditor-General’s Report, which has equally exposed acts of corruption, malfeasance, and misappropriation of COVID-19 funds in Ghana.
Trying to excuse the nonchalant posture of the President of Ghana, Akufo-Addo, with regards to this scandalous Auditor-General’s Report on COVID-19 expenditure, is untenable. Claims made by NPP apologists, that Akufo-Addo is only being cautious because infractions captured in the Auditor-General’s report have usually been resolved at sittings of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, is fallacious.”
He said “Yes, lots of funds have been retrieved as a result of disallows by the Auditor General and recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee at it’s sittings. The Public Accounts Committees of the 7th and 8th Parliaments have made several recommendations for the prosecution of persons whose conducts have offended the procurement laws of Ghana, or have led to the loss of public funds. And it’s important to state, that when the Public Accounts Committee recommends prosecution, the Attorney General is expected to act.
Even so, given the nature and magnitude of what the Special Audit has uncovered, and the public anger and revulsion it has created, the President’s loud silence is most revealing, not shocking.
Unlike the President of Malawi, Akufo-Addo, the President of Ghana, by his refusal to comment on the Auditor-General’s Report indirectly confirms the widely held belief that he has no interest in fighting corruption. This is the conclusion of known Anti-corruption crusaders in Ghana.
The legitimate expectation of the people of Ghana is, that those who have embezzled, dissipated, and misappropriated COVID-19 funds be held accountable – nothing more nothing less.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
