The former Member of Parliament for Sekondi and former Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has criticised the government’s handling of the audit into GH¢68.7 billion in claims submitted by contractors and suppliers as outstanding payments at the end of 2024.
His remarks follow disclosures by the Ministry of Finance that billions of cedis in public claims were rejected after the audit uncovered widespread irregularities.
Presenting a statement in Parliament on behalf of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Finance Minister, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem said GH¢8.1 billion in claims had been disallowed due to issues such as unsupported documentation, duplicated submissions, inflated figures and payments for work that was not carried out.
Commenting on the matter during an interview on Newsfile on Joy FM on Saturday, March 14, Egyapa Mercer described the prominence given to the audit findings as a public relations strategy intended to divert attention from more pressing national issues.
“This is all for PR to deflect attention from pressing issues confronting the country,” he pointed out.
Mr Mercer questioned the timing of the issue, arguing that it appeared to have overshadowed other matters affecting Ghanaians.
He cited the recent reduction in cocoa prices and the controversy surrounding recruitment into the security services, where more than 500,000 applicants reportedly competed for about 5,000 available positions.
According to him, these developments have generated widespread concern among farmers, industry players and the youth.
While acknowledging the importance of accountability in public finances, Egyapa Mercer urged the government to focus on addressing the economic and employment challenges facing citizens rather than allowing the audit revelations to dominate public discourse.
