Parliament has been bludgeoned from behind – Dafeamekpor demands forensic audit on Covid spending

South Dayi MP and Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has demanded a forensic audit of government's COVID-19 expenditure following new revelations about gaps in the Auditor-General's audit. On Joy News’ PM Express, Mr Dafeamekpor stated that the latest findings by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni revealed that the Auditor-General's January 2023 report did not cover the entire COVID-related expenditure approved by Parliament.

He further explained that the Auditor-General later released a follow-up report on implementing the recommendations from the earlier report. Mr Dafeamekpor highlighted significant gaps in the Ministry of Transport's expenditure, which Parliament asked for 299 million, but the audit reported zero. Similar discrepancies were found in local government and education sectors, where Parliament approved and released funds, yet auditors reported substantially less.

Dafeamekpor emphasized that Parliament must now request a broader examination of the expenditure from the Auditor-General. He rejected accusations that Parliament had been deliberately misled, stating that the auditor's failure to fully audit the approved expenditures constituted the issue.