It’s early to call for an audit into expenditure for COVID-19 fight – NPP hits back at NDC
Deputy Information Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide says even though the Minority’s call for an audit into government’s expenditure during the lockdown is in the right direction, he believes the request is ill-motivated and not appropriate at this time.
According to him, initiatives under the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) have not come under their logical conclusion for any proper accounts to be made.
“I believe that the NDC minority appears to be in an indecent way and I find their request premature and ill-motivated. The fact that they are misdirecting their so-called request will be enough justification for my position that, if the NDC honestly and truthfully wants the Auditor to look into this matter, the way to the Auditor-General is not by way of a press conference. They would have notified the Auditor-General in a proper manner but they didn’t do that. The motive is to give a dog a bad name and hang it because they are worried that the people of Ghana have come to the conclusion that, the President’s response and management of COVID-19 are excellent such that, it will become an issue for election 2020,” he said.
Mr Hadzide said government will at an appropriate time render an account of every money spent before, during and after the lockdown.
“The confused and ill-motivated press conference by the NDC will be properly responded to. I will appreciate these matters, preliminary because if its a matter that is prepared, the proper time for real accountability will be on us. This is a government that is opened and accountable and does not hide from the people of Ghana but approaches them with the right processes. So for me, CAP is a package but what our colleagues in the NDC are inviting us to do is to lift specific items in the package and deal with them because, in their view, work is completed on that matter. But are we sure work is completed? There is a structured approach for accounting for public money. So assuming that there is lockdown next week, are we going to come back and account for that money?”
Background
The Minority in Parliament in its quest to ensure that state funds are used for its intended purposes have requested that the Auditor General, Daniel Domelevo conducts an audit into government’s expenditure under the coronavirus alleviation programme.
Minority spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson stated his party had received reports that some Municipal Chief Executives diverted some relief items meant for the vulnerable.
The Minority said their call for an audit is to ensure accountability.
Read More: Gov’t must account for every penny spent during lockdown – Minority
