Dayi Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, a member of parliament for South, has emphasized the necessity of the Auditor-General being granted legal prosecutorial authority.

The South Dayi lawmaker made the implication while speaking with the media on the sidelines of the beginning of the Public Account Committee’s meeting in Ho that harsher penalties for those found guilty in the A-G report would be sufficient to shield the country from the enormous losses detailed in the report each year.

He made it clear that surcharging offenders is insufficient to deter such behaviors and violations.

“The Auditor-General itself, in addition to the power to surcharge, should also have power to prosecute because it’s not sufficient to surcharge because when you surcharge, you are asking the person to refund, is that sufficient? If somebody misappropriates public funds to the tune of about 300 million and you are only surcharging, then you are encouraging the person to engage in it again,” he said.

The Public Account Committee’s sitting is currently underway in Ho, the Volta Regional Capital.

The opening saw public Institutions such as the Accra Technical University, the Koforidua Technical University, and the Ho Technical University being interrogated on infractions identified in the 2021 Auditor-General’s reports.