Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has dismissed reports suggesting that GH¢35.87 million was wrongly paid to police officers during the 2023 African Games without supporting documentation.

In a statement shared alongside portions of the Ministry of Sports and Recreation’s audit report, the lawmaker said the matter had been misrepresented publicly.

According to him, the Ministry’s official Status Report on the Special Audit of the Auditor-General on Government Outstanding Claims and Commitments as of December 31, 2024, did not confirm any wrongful payment.

Assafuah explained that the report instead showed the Ministry itself questioned the claim and requested additional proof from the Ghana Police Service before any approval process could continue.

“It is important to place the facts on record regarding the GH¢35.87 million claim relating to police services during the 2023 African Games,” he stated.

He pointed to sections of the report which indicated that the Ministry “was not convinced the amount was payable” and had therefore demanded further evidence to support the claim.

The audit document also stated that no deployment registers, duty rosters, attendance logs, or official movement orders were available to substantiate the claimed amount.

Assafuah argued that this meant the issue remained unresolved rather than confirmed as a wrongful disbursement.

“This, therefore,e cannot honestly be presented as documented proof of wrongful payment, but rather an unresolved claim the Ministry itself challenged and subjected to verification,” he said.

He further stated that reports alleging the money had already been paid “without documentation” were false.

“So the story being circulated that GH¢35.87 million was paid to a service police officer ‘without documentation’ is a palpable falsehood and must be treated with the contempt it deserves,” the MP added.