Over GH¢600m COVID audit gap frightening – PAC Vice Chairman

Davis Ansah Opoku, the Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), has raised alarm over evidence suggesting the former Auditor-General's COVID-19 audit may have missed a staggering GH¢600 million in fumigation spending. Mr. Opoku expressed grave concern over the stark contrast between the Auditor-General's reported figure of GH¢96 million and the audited amount of GH¢720 million uncovered by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.

He emphasized that this discrepancy indicates a significant oversight and necessitates answers from the Audit Service. The investigation by Mr. Awuni, conducted last year, revealed that government expenditure on COVID-19 fumigation was far greater than what the special audit in 2022 had documented. The Audit Service, per a directive from then Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, was tasked to scrutinize COVID-19 expenditure by various ministries between 2020 and June 2022.

The PAC will delve into this issue during its upcoming engagement with the Audit Service to ascertain the reasons behind the alleged underreporting and evaluate the audit's thoroughness. Mr. Opoku also questioned the promptness of the special audit, alleging that it may have been executed hastily. He noted that discrepancies in the audit report, particularly concerning amounts owed to agencies and institutions, perplexed the committee.

The PAC, he said, has been striving to align these discrepancies with available evidence. However, he termed the alleged fumigation expenditure gap as a major irregularity demanding clarification from the Audit Service.