The former District Chief Executive (DCE) for Dekyembour District Assembly in the Eastern region has been ordered to pay GH₵46,780.00 for allegedly causing financial loss to the assembly.
Mr Kwaku Ofori Abrokwah, according to the 2017 Auditor-General’s report, authorised the construction of a road through St. Roses Senior High School and in the process broke down the fence wire, septic tank, culverts and destroyed some palm trees on the school’s premises.
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The school authorities, the report said, through the Catholic Church sued the Assembly for an amount of GH₵35,080.00 being the total monetary value of the destruction of the school’s property.
The Assembly filed a defence and later abandoned the case after a few court appearances, but the school pursued the case and obtained judgement debt and cost against the Assembly amounting to GH₵46,780.00.
The action of the Chief Executive resulted in the judgement debt which in the opinion of the Auditor-General could have been settled out of court.
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Based on this backdrop, the Auditor-General recommended the recovery of the amount of GH₵46,780.00 from Mr Abrokwah, the former DCE.
Completed
projects not in use
The report revealed that, three Assemblies in the Eastern region spent a total amount of GH₵561,312.26 on four projects, but could not put them to use some two years after the completion of the projects.
At Akuapem South, a 12- seater water closet toilet facility and a mechanised borehole completed in December 2016 worth GH₵130,000.00 at Jamaicaso, had been left to rot. The reason given was that the facilities were too far from the catchment area for the people to access.
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Also in Yilo Krobo Municipality, an Information and Communications Technology Centre at Nkurakan worth GH₵123,751.22, completed in December 2016 had been left to rot. The Assembly in justifying their action said there was no electricity at the facility.
A three-unit classroom block and ancillary works for Atibie AK Islamic Basic School in the Kwahu South District is now a ‘White Elephant.’ The GH₵211,536.54 classroom block completed in December 2015 is under lock and key due to lack of furniture.
A CHPS Compound at Asubori in the same District Assembly worth GH₵96,024.50 was nonfunctional because it was far from the town.
The Auditor-General recommended that management should engage in public sensitisation on the need for the project and also provide the basic facilities to ensure early take-ff.
Abandoned
projects
The Auditor-General’s report cited two Assemblies of expending a total of GH₵738,340.47 on six projects awarded between 2010 and 2015. However, the report said these projects, which were at various levels of completion, had been abandoned and new projects awarded.
Delayed
Projects
An audit revealed that, 33 projects
awarded by six Assemblies at a total cost of GH₵824,536.85 out of which an
amount of GH₵1,802,398.58 was paid had still not been completed six months to
10 years after their scheduled completion dates.
The projects, which were within 25 to 70 percent complete, were at a standstill as at the time of writing the report.
Tax Irregularity
Contrary to Section 117 of the Income Tax Act, 2015 (ACT 896) which requires that a withholding agent pays to the Commissioner-General after the end of each calendar month a tax that has been withheld, “we noted that Birim South and Kwaebibirem failed to remit tax of GH₵23,701.93 and GH₵7,364.46 respectively to the Commissioner-General,” the report noted.
The Auditor-General said as at the time they were writing the report, the withheld tax had not been paid to the Commissioner-General.
“To avoid payment of penalty by the Assemblies, we recommended that the Coordinating Directors should remit the deducted tax to the Commissioner-General,” the Auditor-General noted.
Source: Ghana|Adomonline.com|Adwoa Gyasiwaa Agyeman