The Supreme Court has ordered the Auditor General to, as a matter of urgency, begin the process of surcharging any person found to have misappropriated public funds in their reports.

The court also ordered that where applicable, criminal action should be instituted against accused persons by the Attorney General.

The Supreme Court reached this decision after pressure group Occupy Ghana instituted an action against the Auditor General seeking an order of the court to compel him to not only report on financial misappropriations by public officials but to take steps to retrieve all state finances that may have gone into wrong hands.

Many at times, state officials are cited for misappropriation of funds in the Auditor General’s report, but such persons walk freely despite causing financial loss to the state.

The new directive is intended to serve as deterrent to officials who intend to loot the state through their action and inaction.