The Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu has backed President John Dramani Mahama’s plans for officials found culpable of financial losses to the state to be jailed.
According to Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, if public officials are stealing state money, Nsawam Prison should be one destination for them.
Speaking to TV3 on October 9, 2025, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu stated, “It’s been a challenge for a long time. I think the president has stepped in, you know, as the head of state, just to take action. Instead of just talking, and talking…”, the Auditor-General noted.
“I believe that the president is desirous of bringing this canker to an end”, he said.
“… our laws establish the punishment for every offence… If you are stealing state money… I believe there are a lot of laws that will determine where you go from there. And one of the destinations is in Nsawam, as His Excellency mentioned,” he explained.
“Now, the tune is set from the top. There will be strong support for the president’s stance,” he added.
Also, John Mahama expressed deep concern over the persistent recklessness and scale of financial irregularities uncovered each year at the Public Accounts Committee sittings.
According to John Mahama, it is so pathetic watching Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearings.
Speaking at the 12th Annual Conference of Chairpersons of Governing Boards and Chief Executives of Public Services in Ho on Wednesday, October 8, John Mahama lamented, “Recently, I’ve been watching the Public Accounts Committee, and it’s so pathetic, you know. Why must we every year congregate at the Public Accounts Committee, and then you hear all kinds of atrocious, you know, things? I mean, recklessness with public funds and resources.
“And so, I have a meeting on Thursday with the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and others to find a final solution to this Auditor-General’s report. Those persons who infringe, are found guilty of infractions, or do not follow due procedure, or lead to loss of public resources — we must have a fast-track process,” he said.
John Mahama further cried out that, despite the constitutional provisions guiding the implementation of audit recommendations, very little has been achieved.
He explained, “We’ve not fully implemented the constitutional provision. There is a part that says after the Public Accounts Committee has sat on the Auditor-General’s report, Parliament must set up a committee to implement the findings”.
“What we don’t know is whether it should be a parliamentary committee or one made up of non-parliamentarians.”
“Every department is supposed to set up an ARIC, but once they’ve come from the Public Accounts Committee, virtually nobody follows up on the recommendations,” he said.
President Mahama added, “The audit reports implementation committees are not working. We must find a way to create a deterrent, until people know they can be held responsible for these things they do.”
“If we save GH¢15 billion, can you imagine what it could do? We must hold those who misuse the people’s resources to account so that others do not follow suit.”
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Abena Osei-Asare, has revealed that the committee, with the help of the Auditor-General, has been able to recover over GH¢12.9 billion in misappropriated public funds.
According to Abena Osei-Asare, accountability remains a key priority.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 1, Abena Osei-Asare stated, “One thing I am clear about is that what we are doing is yielding positive results. We have a report we will look at.
Per the work of the Public Accounts Committee, and with the support of the Auditor-General, we have been able to retrieve GH¢12.9 billion. There is a whole report on that which we will be sharing with the public at the right time,” she said.
PAC in the last weeks have been engaging officials from various ministries, departments, and agencies to address infractions captured in the Auditor-General’s Report of 2024.
The Committee is expected to resume its next sittings on October 27, 2025.