By Elorm Yao Aryee
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, James Klutse Avedzi, has expressed worry about the phenomenon where public officials fail to return to serve the state after benefiting from government scholarships abroad.
He stressed that public servants who are beneficiaries of government scholarships are required by law to return to work after studying or risk facing prosecution.
In an interview with GBCONLINE at the opening of its zonal sitting in Ho, Mr Avedzi said the Committee will refer such culprits cited in the Auditor General’s Report to the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) to track them for the retrieval of the funds.
The five-day committee sitting in Ho is to consider infractions committed by public institutions cited in the Auditor General’s 2021 Report. Management of the Accra, Koforidua, and Ho Technical Universities appeared before the Committee on the first day to address issues of financial irregularities in their institutions.
Mr Avedzi also expressed concern about tertiary institutions offering courses their institutions are not accredited to run, stating that the Committee will engage the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to address the matter.
On his assessment of the 2021 infractions, Mr Avedzi said that though there has been a reduction in the number of cases compared to previous years, it is the wish of the Committee that no public institution is cited at all for breaches in the Auditor General’s Report.
Management of other education institutions, authorities of municipal and district assemblies, and other government agencies cited in the Auditor General’s 2021 Report in the Volta, Oti, Eastern, and Greater Accra Regions are expected to appear before the Committee within the week.