PAC queries Labour Ministry over missing GH¢223,000 vehicles and 14-year interest accrual

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) questioned the Ministry of Labour and Employment over the disappearance of two vehicles purchased more than a decade ago and the subsequent accumulation of interest on the outstanding claim. The matter forms part of a GH¢223,127 payment claim flagged by the Auditor-General in the special audit report on GH¢68.7 billion government arrears. According to the report, the amount related to the procurement of two Nissan Tiida saloon cars, which cannot currently be traced.

The Ministry's Director of Finance, Mary Ninson, appearing before the committee on May 18, explained that records connected to the transaction could not be located, adding that the vehicles were "supposedly" procured in 2011. She admitted the Ministry did not have adequate documentation relating to the transaction and said officials had informed auditors of the situation during the audit process. Mrs. Ninson further explained that delays in settling the outstanding amounts had resulted in interest accumulation, a matter the Ministry of Finance had been informed about. Documentation relating to two-horsepower air conditioners could not be traced, and the Ministry had similarly informed auditors of the missing records.

On a separate issue involving the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Mrs. Ninson explained that the total cost for the completion of a building project was estimated at GH¢5.1 million, out of which GH¢4.3 million had been certified as work completed. Auditors accepted the certified amount but rejected the remaining balance on the grounds that it related to work yet to be completed, a position the Ministry agreed with. Mrs. Ninson said the issue first emerged during the audit, after which the Ministry engaged Japan Motors and other relevant parties to establish the facts surrounding the transaction. She said those engagements yielded only photocopied documents, with no original records available.