Auditor-General Not Ready To Work With Board Supervision – Prof Agyeman

In the wave of attacks and counter attacks going on at the Ghanan Audit service, the Board Chairman of the Ghana Audit Service, Professor Edward Dua Agyeman has said that the Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo,   is not ready to work with board supervision.

According to Prof Dua Agyeman, even though the board was ready to work with him, “he [Domelevo] says he cannot take instructions from us. He travels without our knowledge.”

So intense is the words’ trading and counter-allegations between the two that both have written separate petitions to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The Auditor-General, in a petition dated July 27, 2018, and addressed to the President, indicated among others that the Audit Service Board and its Chairperson, Prof. Edward Dua Agyeman, were interfering in his line of work.

However, a counter-petition dated August 6, 2018, signed by all members of the Audit Service Board and their chairperson and addressed to the President, accused the Auditor-General of disregarding laid down procedures in the discharge of his duties.

In a radio interview on Accra based Oman FM Thursday morning, Prof Dua Agyeman said the Auditor-General recently procured some vechicles without board approval and went ahead to distribute the vehicles.

When the Board enquired, he told them they have no power to control him and that he was not going to accept directives from the board.

He said Mr Domelevo travels outside of the country without informing the board and on one occasion when they enquired, he explained he wrote to the Chief of Staff and copied the board chairman. When he was informed the board never received its copy, he later explained that the copied letter was later found on his desk and that it was not delivered.

Prof Dua Agyeman it was not proper for the Auditor General to bypass the board and go to the Chief of Staff but he has refused to accept that directive.

He said that was why they wrote to President Akufo-Addo for redress since Mr Domelevo has indicated he was not ready to work with board supervision.

Prof Dua Agyeman who worked as a deputy Auditor General under President Jerry Rawlings and as a substantive Auditor General under President John Kufuor and President John Evans Atta Mills said during his tenure, he worked cordially with the board.

Meanwhile in another interview with the Daily Graphic’s Mabel Akku Baneseh in Accra on Wednesday, Prof. Dua Agyeman accused Mr Domelevo of not cooperating with the board.

“We tried to meet to resolve all our differences but he cancelled the planned meeting without our knowledge,” the board chair alleged.

He also denied allegations that he was manipulating procurement processes at the Ghana Audit Service and further explained that with regard to the NHIA issue, “the NHIA accounts had been audited from 2007 to 2015. I only made enquiries on why it was being audited again following a complaint from the NHIA.”

With regard to the allegations on the audit of MMDAs, Prof. Agyeman explained that Mr Baffour-Atta was in charge of local accounts and that the audit was only to verify claims from contractors before payment was effected.

According to Prof. Agyeman, an amount of GH¢1.6 million was released for the audit of the MMDA accounts but the Auditor-General, who had earlier agreed to the audit, “asked us to return the money to the Consolidated Fund on the grounds that he will conduct the audit his own way.”

Asked if the board could work with the Auditor-General considering the bad blood, Prof. Agyeman said: “We want to work with him but he says he cannot take instructions from us. He travels without our knowledge.”

“The Auditor-General has stated emphatically that he is not answerable to the board and will ignore decisions of the board. This attitude is unhealthy and will affect the efficiency of the administration of the service. The board, therefore, wishes to formally make this report to you and for your attention,” the letter pointed out.

Other signatories to the letter were: Nana Kwasi Agyekum-Dwamena, Dennis K. Y. Vormawor, James Frempong, Joyce Opoku-Boateng and Emmanuel M. Owusu-Ansah.