The Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Abena Osei-Asare, has expressed disappointment with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture over its failure to present key witnesses for further questioning in a special audit inquiry into GH¢69 billion in outstanding government claims and commitments.
She said the Ministry’s failure to honour a rescheduled meeting had stalled the committee’s work, preventing it from completing its examination of the special audit report.
Speaking on Monday, October 12, Mrs Osei-Asare explained that the committee had requested the appearance of suppliers and other individuals cited in the report to provide additional information on issues raised during an earlier hearing.
“Other people who had been cited in the reports, we never heard from you, and because of the Ministry of Agric, we are not done with the special audit reports,” she said.
According to the PAC chairperson, the committee had raised several questions during the Ministry’s initial appearance but found the responses insufficient to address all its concerns.
She said members subsequently agreed that the individuals directly mentioned in the report would be better placed to provide the necessary explanations.
Mrs Osei-Asare indicated that the Ministry had undertaken to bring the relevant individuals before the committee and was allowed to choose a convenient date for the follow-up meeting.
However, she said the Ministry later requested a change of date because one of the stakeholders had a visa appointment.
The committee, she noted, accommodated the request and expected the Ministry to appear on the rescheduled date, but the officials failed to return.
“You asked that we shift it to another day because one of the stakeholders had a visa appointment on that particular day. We did that, and we never heard from you again,” she said.
The PAC chairperson criticised the Ministry’s handling of the arrangement, stressing that public institutions were expected to cooperate with Parliament in the discharge of its oversight responsibilities.
“I don’t think this is how you should treat the committee,” she added.
PAC insists on further explanations
Mrs Osei-Asare said the committee’s request for additional information was necessary to ensure that the issues raised in the special audit report were properly examined before its work could be concluded.
She emphasised that the committee was seeking further details to clarify the audit findings and give the relevant parties an opportunity to address the concerns raised.
“Respectfully, we are here together to work in the interest of the nation. An audit finding, a special audit report, has been brought to us. We needed further and better particulars,” she said.
She explained that the Ministry had already appeared before the committee and made submissions, but members believed more information was needed to resolve outstanding questions.
According to her, the committee had given the Ministry sufficient opportunity to arrange the appearance of the relevant stakeholders, making its failure to attend the subsequent meeting a setback to the inquiry.
“You came here, you made some submission, and we felt that was not enough. We permitted you. You chose the date, and yet you refused to attend upon the committee,” she said.
Mrs Osei-Asare maintained that the committee could not finalise its examination of the report until the Ministry returned with the individuals expected to provide further explanations.
“Until you come, we cannot submit that report,” she stressed.
Inquiry into outstanding government claims
The committee’s inquiry centres on a special audit into GH¢69 billion in outstanding government claims and commitments, with members seeking further clarification from the Ministry and other individuals cited in the report.
The appearance of the relevant stakeholders was to help the committee examine the issues raised in the audit and obtain additional information before completing its work.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture is expected to return before the committee to address the outstanding concerns.
However, no new date for the meeting was provided in the remarks made by the PAC chairperson.