CAG SAYS AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT "UNFAIR"

The Controller and Accountant General (CAG) has described as "unfair" the Auditor General's composite report on the Public Accounts of the central government.. The report, as presented, is "unfair, clouded, ambiguous and misleading," Professor Ato Ghartey said in his preliminary comments on the accounts for the period 1990 to 1994. CAG in a statement issued here called for a forum that will include him, the Auditor General, and chairmen of the Parliamentary Public Accounts and Finance Committees to help chart a "constructive way foward". There was also the need to cultivate mutual trust between the Controller and Accountant General's Department and the Audit Service in order to strengthen and consolidate the ties between them, he said. Prof. Ghartey said he was expressing concern about the report because "it does not identify specific problems associated with each financial year." "Furthermore, it contains several debatable accounting and auditing principles and standards." The Auditor General, Prof. Ghartey said, provided a management report without any audited financial statements.

He also reproduced the draft 1994 financial statement of the CAG in his report. No audit comment, input or adjustments have been reflected or incorporated in the draft statements and reports referred to. "An audit report is expected to issue an opinion on the financial statements taken as a whole after actually reviewing the draft statements and incorporating the relevant adjustments and corrections to arrive at the audited financial statements," he added.