The Auditor-General has released a damning report implicating former Finance Minister Dr. Kwabena Duffuor and seven others in what it describes as a deliberate inflation of government accounts by GH¢2.1 billion, alongside the unexplained omission of over GH¢300,000 in public funds.
The revelations, contained in the latest special audit report, have sparked national concern over accountability in the management of public resources. The report accuses the former officials of “serious financial misreporting” and multiple breaches of the Public Financial Management Act.
According to the Auditor-General, between 2010 and 2012, government financial statements were manipulated to reflect bloated revenue and expenditure figures. The audit team discovered that a sum of GH¢2.1 billion had been unjustifiably added to the national accounts, thereby distorting the country’s true fiscal position.
In addition, a separate sum of GH¢314,712 in government receipts was reportedly excluded from the official books without any supporting documentation or reasonable explanation.
“The discrepancies appear to have been orchestrated with the intent to mislead stakeholders and present a healthier economic outlook than was actually the case,” the Auditor-General’s report states.
Aside from Dr. Duffuor, the report lists former senior officials at the Ministry of Finance and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department among those responsible. Their roles, the report indicates, range from authorizing unverified transactions to concealing critical financial data.
Civil society organizations and governance watchdogs have swiftly reacted to the findings. Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) called for swift investigations and possible prosecutions. “We cannot allow this level of financial mismanagement to go unchecked. The rule of law must apply regardless of status,” said Mary Addah, GII’s Executive Director.
While Dr. Duffuor has yet to make a public statement, sources close to him describe the report as “politically motivated” and claim that the figures in question had been independently audited and approved during his tenure.
The Auditor-General has formally recommended that the Office of the Special Prosecutor initiate a full-scale probe into the individuals named, and recover any funds that may have been misappropriated.
Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee is also expected to summon the implicated persons for questioning in the coming weeks as pressure mounts for transparency and restitution.
As the fallout from the report continues, many Ghanaians are calling for urgent reforms to prevent systemic abuse of public financial systems and ensure that such “sins” are not repeated in future administrations.