The Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Abena Osei-Asare, has raised concerns over the disappearance of two Nissan Tiida vehicles allegedly procured in 2011 for the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, questioning the basis for approving any outstanding payments linked to the vehicles.

Speaking during proceedings of the Committee, she expressed dissatisfaction over the Ministry’s inability to account for the vehicles while still pursuing payment claims from the Ministry of Finance.

“My issue is, where are the assets they are laying claim to? If you say it is something we have to look into, I don’t understand,” she stated.

“They are laying claim to assets they say they sold to you. We cannot find the assets, so how do we confidently say there are outstanding payments that have to be made? We cannot approve them,” she added.

The PAC’s concerns follow revelations by officials of the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment that 40 per cent of the payment for the vehicles had already been made, even though the current whereabouts of the cars remain unknown.

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The Ministry further disclosed that two pickup vehicles procured during the same period are still attracting interest charges because of delays in settling the remaining payments.

The Ministry’s Director of Finance, Mary Ninson, admitted before the Committee that the Ministry does not have adequate documentation on the vehicles and said attempts to verify the claims with Japan Motors had been unsuccessful.

“We do not have enough documentation, and we informed the auditors when they came around. Payments were made, but they [Japan Motors] say there were delays, so they calculated interest for us to pay. The Ministry of Finance was informed. The assets are not in the Ministry,” she explained.

Following the inconsistencies, the Auditor-General disallowed the outstanding payment claims because of the absence of proper records and the inability to trace the vehicles.

SO/MA

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