An Executive Member of the Centre for Democratic Transitions, Ghana, Professor Kwamena Ahwoi has waded into the ongoing debate on the double salary saga praying President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo to halt the current police investigations.
Prof. Ahwoi in a letter to the President attributed the double salary and overpayment to Article 71 Office Holders in the former President John Mahama administration to systemic and structural flaws and should therefore, not be criminalised.
Government is currently investigating Article 71 Office Holders who allegedly received double and overpayments but Prof. Ahwoi stated “Excellency, these problems will recur in the future if we do not acknowledge them as systemic and structural failures and rather insist on treating them as criminal matters”.
According to Prof Ahwoi, he was part of Professor Dora Francesca Edu-Buandoh Presidential Committee on Emoluments (PCEs) which was appointed by Former President John Dramani Mahama to make recommendations for Article 71 Office Holders in the Sixth Government of the Fourth Republic which was in office between January 2013 and January 2017.
“My intention in writing this letter is to draw your attention to certain systemic and structural flaws in the method of paying some of the Article 71 Office Holders which the Committee identified in the course of its work and which I believe are at the heart of the present problem regarding the alleged double payment and overpayment of salaries and other emoluments to those Office holders”, he stated.
“Unfortunately, the consequences of those flaws are being treated as criminal matters and have become the subject of current police criminal investigations”, Prof. Ahwoi added.
These problems according to Prof. Ahwoi occurred in the past, even in former President John Agyekum Kufour’s administration and the late President John Evans Atta Mills was compelled to write to the then Speaker of Parliament on the issue.
Prof. Ahwoi advised the government to establish a taskforce with representation from the Office of the President, Parliamentary Service, Ministry of Finance, CAGD, Audit Service and the Presidential Committee on Emoluments 2013-2017 to reconcile the accounts of the affected Article 71 Office Holders on a case by case basis.
“Article 71 Office Holders found to have been overpaid or doubly paid should be made to refund the overpayment or double payment staggered over an agreed period of time.
Prof. Ahwoi stated that the letter dated March 29, 2010 written by the then Chief of Staff addressed to the Auditor General and copied the Speaker of Parliament stated “The Auditor-General has since concluded the audit verification and issued his report, a copy of which is also attached herein, for your perusal. As you will see from the report, there were no shortfalls in respect of payments made by the Office of the President.
Some under and overpayments were, however, discovered in the payments made by the office of Parliament. The details are, 54 Ministers who were Members of Parliament were shortpaid by a total of Ghc411, 632.00. This was paid to them on the 7th of May 2010.
Five Ministers who were Members of Parliament were overpaid by a total of Ghc94, 080.00 and one 176 Members of Parliament were overpaid by a total of Ghc648, 710.00.
The purpose of this letter is to kindly request you to ensure that the overpayment indicated in paragrapgh Two are refunded by those concerned”.
Presidential Committee on Emoluments
According to Prof Ahwoi, the Professor Dora Francesca Edu-Buandoh Presidential Committee on Emoluments (PCEs) made some sterling recommendations based on its findings which when implemented could go a long way to permanently address the issue of double and over payment.
He said the Prof. Edu-Buandoh Presidential Committee on Emoluments report dated 31st August 2016, identified the Procedure for processing MPs salaries and the timing for the establishment of PCEs as two major challenges which needed to be dealt with through its recommendation.
Recommendations
“Whereas some MPs salaries are processed by the Parliamentary Service, the salaries of MPs who are also Ministers are processed by the Controller and Accountants General Department (CAGD). This parallel processing does not allow for easy tracking of how MPs are paid. It therefore, recommended that “The salaries of all MPs should be processed by the Parliamentary Service and the difference between the emoluments of MPs and MPs who are also Ministers should be processed by the CAGD”.
Additionally, the committee observed that apart from the Greenstreet (1993) that was set up early in the first year of the First Government of the Fourth Republic, all other Presidential Committees on Emoluments have been set up either in the second, third or final year of the term of the government. “The late establishment of the PCEs puts pressure on the Committee to submit a report that is not fully discussed by the approving authorities and thus rushed through implementation.
The situation is worsened when the PCE is set up close to or in an election year, because the implementation of the recommendations is then pushed to the next government as the costing would not have been catered for in the budget.
Furthermore, because the recommendations take retrospective effect from the date the government starts its term, there are usually arrears of emoluments to be paid to Article 71 Office Holders” Prof. Ahwoi stated.
He recommended that parliament should pass an Act to give details to the skeletal framework of Article 71 Office Holders. “Within that Act, there should be provision for Presidents to set up PCEs within six months of assuming office. That way the implementation of their recommendations would be prospective rather than retrospective”, he added.
Source: Daily Graphic
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
If I were this man called Prof Awhoi I will sit down very quite and not talk about Ghana politics.People have not forgot you.Your Citizens Vetting Committee has destroyed, broken homes during you PNDC time. Later you and your brothers and the Alibaba and the forty thi-eves took control of purchasing of Ghana cocoa to the detriment of mother Ghana.Now you and your brothers have made your millions of dollars.Crime is crime let the investigation go on, if the investigation is about NPP MPs will come out with this open letter to the president.Did you write to the then president Mills about Wayome's illegal payments.
What is Prof talking about? He should come again and advice the President to rather make sure that these ***barred word*** are not left unpunished. Why didn't they inform the Controller and Accountant General (CAAG) when they realised this anomaly, It took only Martin Amidu to draw the attention of the CAAG to draw their attention and even return the excess money paid him. Is Prof telling us that Martin Amindu couldn't have spent the money and blame it on systemic failure like he is claiming? Masa ***barred word*** is ***barred word*** and to extent that some of these ministers were drawing these funds with two different signatures tells you the motive behind. The Prisons they see in Nsawam and Akaful were not built for only petty criminals. It is about time people are made pay the price for their misdeeds/actions and inactions. We are tired in this country of always blaming ***barred word*** and stealing on systemic failure and the like. ONE DAY ALL YOU GUYS WILL RUN AWAY IN THIS COUNTRY BUT WILL FIND NO PLACE TO HIDE BCOS THE ANGER OF THE PEOPLE WILL CATCH UP WITH YOU POLITICIANS. Please Prof come again and provide some better advice about how to prosecute these criminals.
Someone please help me close my jaw. The President should call for a halt in the investigations of an alleged criminality. Oh Ghana, where did we go wrong with these Nation wreckers. Awurade begye yen.
Sometimes when respected people advance their selfish interests that is at variance with good governance and accountability, and above all, their integrity, then we the down trodden feel inzulted as f00l and 1diots, knowing not out bearings. For these are said to be LEADERS of the country. One may then ask; What are the qualities of a leader? The three leading qualities are: Honesty, Integrity and Accountability. These guys or Cr00ks succeeded in deceiving every Ghanaians to see them as leaders only for them to KNOWINGLY taking Double-Salaries, one of which could have paid a minimum of four (4) nurses. Now, even mariners will not accept structural failures as been responsible for the Double-Salary scandal. Why? The primary law of our land stipulates that at least, 50% of Executives should come from parliament. Thus, those in charge of salaries in parliament MUST know and at any time a parliamentarian is appointed into the executive, they will accordingly delete their names and notify the executives within a maximum of three months. But some of these Double-Salaries continued for even years. And you blame this on structural failure? If this was not done, then the parliamentary service payroll officials are also complicit and MUST be included to the sue. Thus, Prof., Come again. Your argument is below the belt. Unless of course, you shared in the booty. Never give yourself out like this. Your argument is exposing your inner being which ***barred word*** and repugnant.
Nana Addo will be one term president if he allows this ***barred word*** to go unpunished, as NPP member I will lead this crusade against NanaAddo.
This criminal. And if Nana want he should set people involve free and he will meet us 2020. All the people involve have no moral integrity .honest, This people are suppose to be honorable men and lead by example. But they are all corrupt . We should allow the law to take care of them.
HI PROF, YOUR REASONS ARE FLAWED -BIG TIME. THERE WERE NO JOBS IN THE ERA OF YOUR GOVERNMENT AND FOR THAT MATTER, SOMEONE IS IN PRISON FOR STEALING. SOMEONE WAS GIVEN A JOB AND USED TWO DIFFERENT SIGNATURES TO RECEIVE DOUBLE SALARY AND YOU BLAME THE LATTER ON SYSTEMIC FAILURE. OF THE TWO SCENARIOS, WHO DESERVE TO BE FREED. LET THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE - NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.
Goodness Prof. Why waste your ink and paper??!! This administration will have nothing to tell Ghanaians without these scandals!! They need it to survive!!!