Anti-corruption campaigner, Vitus Azeem, is calling for stronger institutional reforms to effectively address corruption and ensure accountability in the management of public funds.
Speaking about the Auditor General’s report on Kessben TV’s Digest, he said, although audit reports often uncover financial irregularities, little action is taken on the findings, allowing corrupt practices to persist within the public sector.
Mr. Azeem stressed that if the Ghana Audit Service had prosecutorial powers, it would significantly change how corruption cases are handled. He argued that such authority would enable the Auditor-General to take immediate legal action against individuals implicated in financial mismanagement.
He also suggested that the Attorney General of Ghana could establish a fast-track court dedicated to handling issues arising from audit reports. According to him, this would speed up the prosecution process and ensure that cases are not delayed unnecessarily.
Mr. Azeem explained that under the current system, the Auditor-General submits reports to Parliament, after which individuals cited in the reports may be invited to appear before the Public Accounts Committee for questioning. The committee then reviews the findings and reports back to Parliament.
However, he noted that the lack of swift action on these findings often leads to escalation of corrupt practices, adding that the executive must be blamed when institutional mechanisms are weak.
He further pointed out that in several other jurisdictions, auditors have the authority to prosecute offenders directly, which helps to sanction defaulters more effectively.
Mr. Azeem emphasized that recovering stolen public funds and ensuring that offenders face imprisonment would serve as a strong deterrent to corruption in the country.
