The fact that corruption in public life is largely institutional rather than political has been highlighted in a report before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.

During a workshop held for members of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament in Accra, Mr Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, the Auditor-General, revealed that between the previous Annual Audit Report and the current 2022 one, the state had made staggering savings. According to him, the reduction in funds misappropriated directly and indirectly by public officials amounts to over GHC5 billion.

He stressed that this achievement was primarily due to the collective monitoring of public expenditure by the PAC and the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.

The workshop aimed to equip committee members with the necessary knowledge and insights to effectively scrutinize and act on the Auditor-General’s findings to promote transparency and accountability in public financial management.

Delving into the details of the reports was also expected to give PAC members a clearer understanding of the issues, challenges and proposed solutions, enabling them to make informed decisions and drive positive change.

The Auditor-General commended PAC members for their collaborative efforts in ensuring financial discipline in the management of public resources by enforcing audit recommendations.

“We are also thankful to various heads of public institutions for their keen interest in implementing the recommendations in audit reports,” he said.

He noted that the collaboration with PAC and other relevant stakeholders had resulted in a significant reduction in audit infractions by over GH¢5.2 billion, compared to the infractions reported during the 2022 financial year.

Mr. Akuamoah stated that an additional amount of GH¢5 million had been transferred into the Consolidated Fund from the Auditor-General’s Recoveries Account.

“Honourable PAC Chairman, on July 17, 2024, we transferred an additional amount of GH¢5 million in audit recoveries into the Consolidated Fund,” he said.

The Chairman of the PAC, James Avedzi, expressed satisfaction with the various improvements in the quality of recommendations contained in the Auditor-General’s reports.

He thanked the Auditor-General, staff of the Audit Service and the committee members for the enhancements in audit recommendations brought about by these collaborations.

Mr. Avedzi mentioned that PAC had so far cleared all outstanding reports of the Auditor-General except for the performance audit and the COVID-19 reports.