Public officials who cause financial loss to the state must be severely sanctioned – Domelevo

The Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo, has stressed the need for stiffer punishments for officials whose actions and or inactions lead to revenue loss to the state.

According to Mr. Domelevo, public officials who cause financial loss to the state must face the full rigours of the law in order to serve as a deterrent to others. In his estimation, the country appears to condone such ills since persons culpable of several acts of misappropriation are allowed to walk about freely.

“It is mind-boggling that audit reports come year after year, citing people for causing financial loss to the state but they are still in their offices and move about in their nice cars and sleep in better houses. Nothing happens to them; not even administrative sanctions,” he expressed worriedly.

Mr Domelevo added, “Those who are supposed to enforce the payment of taxes and mobilise revenue for the state are causing revenue losses and we must have the hammer to their head or a knife near their throat so that they will do the right thing”.

He said revenue losses through the auctioned vehicles were only a tip of the iceberg as millions of cedis had been lost through various financial irregularities by state institutions and public officials.

He made reference to the Audit Report for 2018, where the overall financial impact of weaknesses and irregularities identified in the audit amounted to about GH¢5.2 billion.