Auditor's Report: Zero Tolerance On Course

Yesterday, an Accra FM station reported rather gleefully that "President Kufuor's pledge of zero tolerance for corruption has been thrown in doubt" in reference to the leaked Auditor General's Report on operations of the Ministry of Works and Housing in connection with the Osu Castle renovations.

But, Mr. Ferdinand O. Ayim, Special Assistant to the Minister of Information says "it rather shows zero tolerance at work".

In an exclusive interview with The Accra Daily Mail (ADM) yesterday, he said Minority Leader, Alban Bagbin "might have rushed to judgement prematurely and made too much noise because as at Sunday, the Minister of Works and Housing, The Hon. Yaw Barimah, to whom the report, dated 8th May, 2002 was addressed, said he had not seen it". Also, he said, the Acting Auditor-General, Edward Dua in whose name it was issued said he saw a copy only last Friday, June 20, 2002.

The latest round of controversy was precipitated by a statement "on illegal appropriation of ?150,000,000 from Castle renovation project by Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey", released on June 19, 2002. The statement signed by Bagbin said the Minority's "investigation revealed that the Minister of Information who was at the time Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, by memo, collected one hundred and fifty million cedis (?150,000,000) on two separate vouchers from monies earmarked for the renovation of the Castle".

Bagbin's statement said, "one year after the said money was paid, Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey has been unable to account for it, in spite of the efforts of the Ag. Chief Director of the Ministry of Works and Housing to call on him to account for the outstanding amount".

Appearing on one of Accra's many radio stations yesterday, Bagbin insisted that Jake had not accounted for the money and should therefore be interdicted and prosecuted.

Subsequent events have shown however, that the statement itself was not the outcome of any investigations after all, but the said report of May 8, 2002, which itself, stands indicted based on investigations conducted by ADM.

An Office of the President memo from the cashier to the Chief of Staff dated August 23, 2002 says, "Disbursement of ?100,000,000 received from the Ministry of Works and Housing towards refurbishment of the President's Castle residence project".

The memo explains how by two cheques (numbers withheld), the office paid ?100million to a company (name withheld) to execute work on the project. Two receipts numbered 1494 and 1496 were accordingly issued by the company and received by the Chief of Staff's office.

Proof of disbursement of the other ?50 million is also available to ADM. The leaked report is raising questions regarding its own integrity and motives of those who prematurely leaked it because the audit team that audited the Castle renovation projects did not contact the Chief of Staff's office at the Castle to which the money from the Ministry was sent. Referring to the report itself, an official at the Audit Service questioned why the man in whose name the report was issued, that is the Acting Auditor General, was kept in the dark when the report was "released". Therefore the question which begs for answers is who released it and how?

"The language of the report itself was too political," said the official. "The normal practice is for an audit to be conducted and report made in professional and not the prejudicial language used. Thereafter, it is forwarded to the appropriate authorities that may decide to forward it to the Attorney General's Department for advice should there be the need. It is only that Department, which after studying the report, then prescribes the appropriate charges when there is clear evidence of criminal activity".

Reports reaching ADM say a highly embarrassed Ag. Auditor General was meeting the members of the audit team yesterday to try to unravel the source of the "pre-mature release". The Minister of Works and Housing at the time of going to press was getting ready to meet the appropriate officials in his outfit to also try to separate the point-scoring words of partisan politics from the real facts of the report.

On the issues that have now become subject of much public discussion, Mr. Ferdinand Ayim said Ghanaians now have a government which is so accountable that just one year after taking office, it has caused for the government's accounts to be inspected and reported upon. He said during the entire period of the PNDC, the government's books were not audited and when in the late nineties a belated Auditor's report on the NDC government was published, it was treated with contempt by the NDC government. "It raised more questions than are being asked now, but they never did anything about the questions raised. This government would look at every report prepared and presented by constitutionally sanctioned bodies and take the appropriate action. The Auditor General's Report falls in such a category."

He said, "zero tolerance for corruption means government allowing such bodies to do their work without let or hindrance, which has been the case. As to the queries or suggestions that arise out of such reports, constitutional mechanisms exist for addressing them."

What about the Minority Leader's concerns? To that Mr. Ayim replied, "He is doing what is expected of a politician in opposition, if rather crudely."

A Government spokesman Mr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako yesterday said the NDC allegation was obnoxious and deceptive. "This is the outcome of an obnoxious scheme meant to throw dust into the eyes of the Ghanaian public."

In an interview with the GNA Mr Amponsah-Bediako said the amount was paid into the account of the Chief of Staff but not to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey as a person.

He deplored the circumstances under which the report was prepared without any reference to the receipts. "The NDC is clearly in league with some agents within the Audit Service to come up with interim reports that could not clarify all relevant issues."

Mr Amponsah-Bediako said it is only after answers to queries have been compiled that a final report is presented to the appropriate quarters.

He said attempts by the NDC to deceive the public would fail.