Alima Mahama Refund: Jinapor challenges Ablakwa’s authority, says only Auditor-General can surcharge

The Minority caucus in Ghana's Parliament has questioned the authority of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to demand a refund from ex-Ambassador to the United States, Hajia Alima Mahama, over findings in a special audit. Mr Jinapor, the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, maintains that only the Auditor-General has the power to disallow and impose surcharges following an audit, as stated in Article 187 of the Ghanaian Constitution.

He is challenging the legal basis for Ablakwa's letter requesting the former ambassador to refund the alleged monies. The controversy began after the Minister wrote to Hajia Mahama demanding the repayment of funds allegedly linked to the audit. Jinapor argues that even if the Auditor-General had imposed a surcharge, the individual affected has 60 days to pay or appeal to the High Court, as per the Constitution and the Audit Service Act.

The Minority also raised concerns about Mahama's claim that she was not given a chance to respond to the audit findings. They questioned why the demand covers activities between 2019 and 2025, despite Mahama's tenure as ambassador only covering part of that period. Additionally, they pointed out that the special audit report has not yet been presented to Parliament for deliberation, as required by Section 16 of the Audit Service Act. The Minority insists that any efforts to recover public funds must follow the law.