The Auditor-General (AG), Mr. Daniel Y. Domelevo, has affirmed the commitment of the Audit Service to protect the public purse.  He stated, ‘Our job is to protect the public purse and the Service would not renege on its efforts in ensuring the public purse is very well protected’.

Mr. Domelevo made the declaration at the 8thAnnual Accountability Lectures and the launch of the 2017 Financial Year Audits in Accra. The Lectures was under the theme ‘Protecting the Public Purse –Our Commitment towards Ghana’s Development Agenda’

Speaking on the topic ‘Promoting a culture of Integrity, Transparency and Accountability in our National discourse: The State Auditor’, Mr. Domelevo said the Service would enforce its Code of Ethics to ensure high standards of integrity and ethical behavior in the provision of auditing services.

The AG appealed to government to release the Service’s budgetary allocations in time to enable the Service carry out its planned audits in order to prevent delays in detection of infractions. He assured the public that the Service will communicate openly to the media and other stakeholders the audit results in a more visible manner. The AG revealed that the Service is putting arrangements in place for a public complaints system where the public could submit information on suspected cases of mismanagement, such as misappropriation and embezzlement, in the public offices for follow-up by the Service.

Mr. Domelevo stated that the Service would sanction auditees who fail or refuse to respond to audit observations or act in any manner that would obstruct the conduct of audits

Mr. Domelevo also noted that assets declaration is not a preserve of politicians, but all public officers whose salary is equivalent to the salary of a Director of the Civil Service other than officers of the Armed Forces. He therefore, urged all public office holders who fall under this category to comply with the law.

Mr. Domelevo welcomed government’s initiative to help the Service automate the audit process noting that this would improve efficiency in the conduct of audits..

The Vice President H. E. Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia was the guest of honour and other speakers were the Deputy Minister of Finance, Hon. Abena Osei-Asare, and the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, Hon. James Klutse Avedzi.