By News Desk
More than GH¢600,000 of COVID-19 relief cash disbursed directly to the Paramount
Chiefs of the Traditional Councils of six Regional Houses of Chiefs to fight the dreaded pandemic cannot be accounted for, the New Crusading GUIDE can report.
A follow up report on the audit of Government of Ghana Covid-19 expenditure for the period march 2020 to June 2022 by the Auditor General, referenced AG.01/109/vol.2/181, has revealed that GH¢451,800 was disbursed directly to Paramount Chiefs during the pandemic without any supporting documentation. “A further GH¢154,161 was misapplied by two Regional Houses, bringing the total in question to GH¢605,962.”
The Ashanti and Central registrars admitted the payments were made on the orders of their presidents, while their colleagues in Brong Ahafo and elsewhere claimed ignorance or offered no explanation, swelling up concerns that excuses from the registrars would do little to nothing in mitigating the shame.
“The Registrars of Ashanti and Central Regional Houses of Chiefs explained that the
amounts were disbursed to the Paramount Chiefs upon directives from the Presidents of the Houses. The Registrar, Brong Ahafo said he was not at post during the period, whilst the other five Registrars could not assign reasons for the lapse,” the report stated.
Management in response to the audit report indicated that at the emergency meeting, members agreed to give each of the ten regions GH¢80,000.00. The amount was to assist all the traditional areas in each of the ten regions to move from house to house to educate and encourage natives to always abide by the COVID- 19 protocols.
The money was received by the Presidents of the Regional Houses of Chiefs for onward disbursement to Paramount Chiefs to encourage more natives to use the nose mask.
However, as of 2 October 2023, and till date, Management has not provided any evidence to show that the monies that were supposed to be used for public education by the Chiefs in their respective regions and traditional areas had been used for that purpose. No recoveries had been made.
Read excerpts of the Auditor General Report “Management has argued the funds-GH¢80,000 for each of the ten regions- were meant for chiefs to spearhead grassroots education on masks and safety protocols. But auditors noted that not a single receipt, report or record of such campaigns has been produced, and no recoveries had been made as of October 2023.”
The Auditor-General has therefore recommended that the Chief Director compel Registrars of the Houses of Chiefs to recover the missing funds from the recipients. Should the chiefs fail to pay up, the Chief Director himself has been warned he will be held liable.
