General News of Thursday, 21 May 2015

Source: GNA

Judgement debts culprits will be dealt with - Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday promised to take action against persons or group of persons found culpable in the Judgement Debt Commission report.

He said the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan would also be on the ground to avoid recurrence of such practices and other kinds of malfeasance in the public system.

President Mahama made this promise when he received a 501- page report from Justice Yaw Appau, the Sole Commissioner who was tasked to handle issues of judgement debts in successive governments in October 2012.

The Sole Commissioner on Judgement Debts was inaugurated on October 8, 2012 to among other issues investigate the causes of payments of judgement debts, arbitration awards, financial losses to the State from 1992 to 2012; and to make recommendations to avoid recurrence of the mistakes of the past.

President Mahama, who also handed over the report to the Attorney General for study and recommendations, gave the assurance that government would fully implement their recommendations for better results.

He said even when the Commission was sitting, the Attorney General and other stakeholders took advantage of some of the revelations to stall some payments that could have turned injurious to the state purse.

President Mahama said their recommendations would also help government to restructure the institutions to make the payments of dubious debts and other malpractices impossible.

Justice Appau said the Commission received a total 341 witnesses, out of which 313 tendered in evidence and exhibits.

He said although the inferno in the former Parliament House that they operated from delayed their time framework it, however, did not affect or disrupt their findings.

The Sole Commissioner commended the Attorney General and staff of the secretariat for putting up their best to ensure the successful completion of the report.