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The government has announced plans to designate special courts to handle cases arising from audit infractions identified in the Auditor-General’s Report, as part of renewed efforts to curb financial mismanagement in the public sector.
These courts will specifically focus on enforcing surcharges and disallowances, as well as prosecuting criminal offences related to the misuse or misappropriation of public funds.
The decision follows a high-level meeting convened by President John Dramani Mahama with the Chief Justice, Attorney-General, and Auditor-General to deliberate on measures to strengthen accountability and enforcement of audit findings.
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The move fulfils a promise the President made days earlier at a conference in Ho, where he voiced deep frustration over the repeated cases of financial irregularities and mismanagement captured annually in the Auditor-General’s reports.
“When you leave office, you must be able to hold your head high, wake up in the morning and not fear being called to account for wrongdoing because you did things the right way,” the President said.
President Mahama described the recurring revelations before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as “pathetic”, pointing to what he called “recklessness with public funds and resources”.
“Until there’s a deterrent, we’ll keep seeing these infractions every year. Persons found guilty of causing financial loss or breaching procedure must face swift consequences. We must have a fast-track process — before you know it, you’re in Nsawam. If we save even 15 billion cedis, imagine what that could do for the country,” he stressed.
The President also expressed concern over the poor functioning of Audit Report Implementation Committees (ARICs), which are mandated to ensure that recommendations from the Auditor-General’s reports are carried out across government institutions.
He lamented that despite regular PAC hearings, “virtually nobody follows up on the recommendations”, allowing financial irregularities to persist year after year.
“The Audit Report Implementation Committees are not working effectively. We must create a system that holds people accountable so others are deterred,” President Mahama noted.
The President expressed optimism that the new measures, including the establishment of the special audit courts, will enhance enforcement, restore discipline in public financial management, and ensure that those responsible for misusing state funds face swift and firm consequences.
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