Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has lauded staff of the Audit Service and the Auditor-General, Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu for the remarkable feet achieved in auditing public accounts of Ghana.

He noted that the Auditor-General has demonstrated a high quality of work since his appointment and commended the Audit Service for its timely report to Parliament and the impact the Service was making in the country. 

The Vice-President gave the commendation at the Second Edition of the District Auditor’s conference held in Accra.

The conference on the theme: “Disallowance and Surcharge – The Role of the District Auditor’’, was meant to prepare the District Auditors, being representatives of the Auditor-General at the local level of governance nationwide, to understand foremost, the critical role they play and how they impact the society and the public accounts of Ghana.

The conference resourced the District Auditors on what and how to apply the law on disallowance and surcharge, as well as procedures and measures needed to ensure the successful implementation of the Constitutional obligation.

Dr. Bawumia assured the Service that the government is willing to provide all the necessary support to the Audit Service, to enhance the independence of the Auditor-General.

The Auditor-General, Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, thanked government for its support to the Service and also thanked District Auditors for their sterling performance and urged all to work harmoniously as a team despite their individual capacities and be good ambassadors of the Service.

A former Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah urged District Auditors to respect the decision of the Supreme Court as stated in the Occupy Ghana Case, which affirmed the Auditor-General's power to Disallow and surcharge.

Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, called for an enhanced collaboration between his office and the Auditor-General to recover financial losses suffered by the state.

For instance, he said his office had a dedicated team to deal with all matters of Disallowance and Surcharge. He cautioned the District Auditors to ensure they provided adequate information to make processing request of disallowance and surcharge of claims through the courts faster. 

He added that currently, an action had been successfully filed after meeting all the legally required expectations covering the sum of GH₵1,560,00 involving a senior Accounts Officer of the public services stationed in Kumasi.

The Deputy -Auditors General, Mr. Ali Zakaria and Mr. Lawrence Ayagiba in a presentation on practical instances of cases of disallowance and surcharge mentioned that staff must perform due diligence in their course of work to gather evidence which would be admissible in court.

They made it known to staff that a software was being developed to assist with matters of disallowance and surcharge to make it easier for staff to engage.

The District Auditors confirmed their preparedness to engage to successfully implement the Disallowance and surcharge to assist in the fight against corruption.