2 minstries surcharged by PAC for not responding to its invitation

The ministries of Road and Highways and Works and Housing have been surcharged by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament together with their agencies to pay the overall cost associated with the committee’s Thursday sitting.

The ministers failed to appear before the committee to consider the 2017 and 2018 Auditor General’s reports.

Hon. James Klutse Avedzi, Chairman of the committee directed the Finance Department of Parliament to put together the cost incurred by parliament in organizing the sitting for the ministers to pay.

He gave this directed after members of the committee had turned out only to meet the absence of the two ministers and their agencies.

The Chairman then ordered the ministers to appear before the committee on Friday, June 25, 2021, at 2 pm exactly.

On Friday, the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service(GES), Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and the Communications Ministry are also expected to appear before the committee.

Background

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been established by Standing Order 151 (2) to exercise an oversight function over the Executive on public expenditure on behalf of Ghana’s Parliament.

The committee consists of not more than 25 members and is chaired by a Member who does not belong to the party which controls the Executive branch of Government.

The Committee must examine the audited accounts showing the appropriation of the sums granted by Parliament to meet the public expenditure of the government as presented to the House by the Auditor-General of Ghana.