A Former Roads and Highways Minister says he cannot be held responsible for the ministry’s claims that some 24 contractors were, by December 2016, owed monies that had already been paid.
Inusah Fuseini said he only approves vouchers that have gone through the relevant procedures before they are sent to the Finance Ministry for payment directly to the contractors.
The Auditor-General’s 2016 report has revealed that large claims made by the Roads and Highways Ministry to the Finance Ministry as debts owed contractors, had already been paid.
The report showed that even though the Roads Ministry submitted GH¢75,053,875.39 as debts owed the 24 companies as of December 31, 2016, auditors found that the Finance Ministry had paid GH¢100,679,315.28, that is GH¢25,625,439.89 more, to the same contractors in respect of the same projects.
For instance, a company which provided an emergency Asphaltic overlay of some selected roads was owed GH¢175,343.24 but was paid GH¢21,572,095.68, the report noted.
Explaining the issue Thursday on the on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM, however, Mr. Fuseini argued that it is the responsibility of the Finance Ministry to inform the Roads and Highways Ministry about the payment so that the figures would be reconciled in their books.
“I approve for payments, I don’t direct the Ministry of Finance to pay; when they have funds they pay,” the former Minister rejected any blame.
Mr. Fuseini who pooh-poohed the report on the Midday News on Joy FM Wednesday explained that it was possible that the debts were still sitting on the books of the Roads and Highways Ministry because it had not informed of the payments made.
“I approve that the document is transmitted to the Ministry of Finance for payment…and the Ministry of Finance will now inform me that ‘we have paid so, so and so’. That will inform me to inform the Director of Finance” at the Roads Ministry to cancel the debt from the books.
He also challenged a part of the report claiming that more than GH¢21million was paid to a company that provided an emergency Asphaltic overlay of some selected roads instead of the GH¢175,343.24 due it.
“If they uncovered a payment of 21million [Cedis] and said that the payment that was justified was 175 [thousand], then which IPC [Interim Payment Certificate] was generated to effect that payment?
“It also beats my imagination how 21million would be paid without proper justification,” the former Minister challenged the report.
Source: Myjoyonline.com