SEND Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has appealed to the Auditor-General to surcharge and prosecute all persons and entities found culpable in the misappropriation of COVID-19 Funds.
The courts must also be proactive and not overly delay in the prosecution of those found culpable as has been the case in most “grand corruption” cases involving public officials, it advocated.
A press release issued by the SEND Ghana, signed by Dr. Emmanuel Ayifah, the Deputy Country Director, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Accra, said “heads must roll”.
It said the Organisation had observed with keen interest regular media reportage on the Auditor-General’s report regarding the misappropriation of funds mobilised by the Government of Ghana to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Multiple reports suggest that a substantial part of the COVID-19 funds has been grossly misapplied and channeled to fund other government interventions and flagship programmes,
“It is sad to note that out of nearly Ghɇ22 billion that was raised to fight the pandemic between March 2020 to June 2022, just a little over half, that is, Ghɇ12 billion, was used to fight the pandemic and its related impact,” the Organisation bemoaned.
It said the misapplication and mismanagement of the funds directly contravened the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), which was instituted to regulate public sector spending.
The release commended the Auditor-General for heeding to SEND Ghana’s call for a special audit to be conducted into the manner in which the COVID-19 Funds were used, and being bold and decisive.
“Whiles commending the Auditor-General for revealing the rot in the COVID-1 9 expenditures, we wish to emphasise that this should not be just another audit report,” it said.