Former Auditor-General must explain GH¢624m fumigation expenditure gap – Domelevo

Former Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo has called on former Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu to explain a significant discrepancy between the reported cost of COVID-19 fumigation and the amount captured in a special audit.

The call follows an investigation by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, which found that Ghana may have spent at least GH¢720 million on COVID-19 fumigation, while the Auditor-General’s special audit recorded GH¢96 million for the exercise.

Speaking on daily News on Tuesday, September 15, Mr Domelevo said the Auditor-General who oversaw the audit should be invited to clarify how the expenditure was assessed and reported.

“I believe we call the Auditor-General then, so that we can throw light on the audit for us to know why that happened,” he said.

Mr Domelevo said the discrepancy could have arisen because relevant information was withheld from the auditors or because of weaknesses in the audit’s planning and execution.

He explained that deliberately withholding information from auditors would constitute a serious offence under Section 33 of the Audit Service Act, which requires individuals and institutions to provide information to the Audit Service.

“But if it is not they hid information and the audit which reported or underreported, then that is more serious,” he added.

Mr Domelevo said he could not determine which of the two situations occurred because he was not involved in the audit.

“I didn’t do the audit,” he said, reiterating the need for the Auditor-General at the time to explain the circumstances surrounding the reported expenditure.

The investigation examined expenditure by the Ministries of Education, Transport and Local Government. It found evidence suggesting that the cost of fumigation was substantially higher than the GH¢96 million captured in the special audit.

Commissioned in 2022, the special audit was intended, among other objectives, to ascertain whether financial records fairly presented receipts and payments from COVID-19 funds.

The discrepancy has prompted calls for clarification on how the fumigation expenditure was compiled, reviewed and reported.