Eighty-six revenue collecting agents of seven District Assemblies in the Ashanti region have been cited by the Auditor General for misappropriating a total of ¢189,894 due seven Assemblies in the Ashanti Region.
The Assemblies are Ahafo Ano North, Ahafo Ano South West, Asante Akim Central, Bekwai, Ejisu Municipal, Offinso and Oforikrom Municipal.
This is contained in the Auditor General’s report on the Accounts of District Assemblies for the financial year December 2019 signed by the Acting Auditor General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu.
Regulation 46 of the Public Financial Management Regulations 2019, (L.I 2378) states a Principal Spending Officer shall ensure that non-tax revenue is efficiently collected and immediately lodged in gross within 24 hours in the designated Consolidated Fund Transit bank accounts except in the case of internally generated funds retained under an enactment.
According to the report, the desire of collectors to suppress revenue coupled with ineffective supervision by the Finance Officers, the Revenue Superintendents, as well as the heads of the Internal Audit Unit contributed to the lapses.
The Auditor-General has therefore recommended recovery of the total amount of ¢189,894 misappropriated from the defaulting collectors, failure to do so, the Revenue Collectors, Coordinating Directors and the Finance Officers will be held liable.
Furthermore, the Audit report has recommended that the Coordinating Directors and the Finance Officers should be sanctioned for negligence of duty.
