Investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni Questions The Usefulness Of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee

Investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni Questions The Usefulness Of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee

Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has criticised Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), questioning its effectiveness and moral authority in addressing corruption and financial mismanagement within public institutions.

In a strongly worded commentary, Awuni described PAC’s proceedings as an “annual drama” that yields little to no results, despite the alarming revelations frequently detailed in Auditor-General reports. He lamented that individuals linked to previous financial irregularities continue to appear before the committee to discuss accountability.

“One is late. One has run away, leaving behind a trail of dirty footprints. And one is enacting nuisance drama against new appointees who appear before PAC to answer for the mess created by the administration she served as Deputy Minister of Finance,” Awuni stated.

He particularly questioned the moral authority of the current PAC Chairperson, Abena Osei Asare, a former Deputy Minister of Finance under Ken Ofori-Atta, arguing that many of the audit findings under review trace back to her tenure.

Awuni also cited past examples of PAC’s ineffectiveness, including the James Avedzi-led Committee’s directive for Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to terminate fraudulent fumigation contracts with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a directive that was later extended rather than enforced.

According to him, the PAC has become more of a platform for public outrage than an instrument of genuine reform.

“PAC has not proven to be useful, besides wasting public funds and raising our emotional temperatures about the malfeasance the Auditor-General uncovers,” he added.