Accountant-Gen. Declares ‘Action’ … ‘No More Ghost Names’

The Controller and Accountant-General, Mr. Raphael Kwesi Tufuor, has affirmed his commitment to eliminate ghost names and other forms of malfeasance from the government’s pay roll. “Ghost names, embezzlement and financial irregularities in the public sector are derailing the country’s scarce resources, hence the need to come out with effective measures to destroy the canker,” Mr. Tufuor said at the opening of the annual conference of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department in Tamale. The three-day conference is on the theme: “Effective financial reporting, a key to national accountability”. Mr. Tufour stressed the need to introduce an electronic a system as such the e-switch at all treasuries in the public sector. E-payment system, he said would also ensure quality and cost-effective service while reducing inconveniences for clients. “These modernizations will reduce ghost names, embezzlements and other financial irregularities,” he stressed. Mr. Tufour pointed out that, the accountability processes in the country would be jeopardized if corrective measures were not put in place to ensure that the right things were done. He said in any democratic society, both the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department and Parliament had equal responsibilities to ensure that public funds were scrutinized and properly accounted for, but that seemed far from being achieved. He noted that due to payment difficulties for both workers and pensioners, the department had begun the process of introducing effective measures to reduce the challenges. He urged the staff of the department to understand the manual on financial laws which had been developed to ensure that the country got value for money, adding that disciplinary actions would be taken against officials whose commission or omission led to financial irregularities. The Deputy Northern Regional Minster, San Nasamu Asabigi, said public accountability was crucial for the effective and efficient management of the public system. He, therefore, urged personnel of the department to preserve the national purse in the execution of their duties.