‘Public Accounts Committee not a platform for games’ – MP chastises NSA boss

The Vice Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, Samuel Atta-Mills has cautioned the executives of the National Sports Authority against jesting with salient issues meant for the public interest whenever they appear before the committee.

Mr. Atta-Mills made this statement when the Director General of NSA, Prof. Peter Twumasi failed to answer a question on why the Sports Ministry delayed showing documents of recoveries to the audit committee before appearing before the Public Accounts Committee on Monday, February 5, 2024.

At the hearing, PAC revealed that the alleged needed recoveries were detected when the audit service audited the NSA two years ago.

Prof. Twumasi at the hearing presented evidence on some of the recoveries that have been made.

However, the Vice Chairperson of PAC chided the Sports Authority for failing to show evidence of the recoveries to the audit committee earlier.

“Is here that you come and you want to trade papers. Who audits your organization?” Mr Atta Mills quizzed.

The NSA boss replied by saying the organization had been audited by the auditing service.

“If the auditing service audited your place how come you have documents and they didn’t have a look at it?

“What were you so busy doing in your office that you couldn’t submit the document to the audit committee when you knew you were coming to see us?

“Do you think we are here to just play games and you come before us to just trade papers? the Vice Chairperson quizzed further.

However, the Director-General of the NSA responded that the documents on the recoveries were submitted a week ago.

Mr. Atta Mills, despite the sharp response from the NSA boss further rebuked him for waiting all this while before submitting documents on recoveries on auditing which was done two years ago.

The Sports Industry is perceived as one of the most corrupt in Ghana as many have called on the government to terminate the appointment of some staff within the ministry.

In 2023, Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo pointed out that the increasing rate of corruption in Ghana football is the main reason standards are falling, the local football league especially.

Other stakeholders including journalists are calling for reforms within the Sports Ministry to curb corrupt practices.