Mr James Klutse Avedzi, Chairman, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, has bemoaned the willful practice by officials of some state institutions to falsify and backdate receipts when invited to appear before the Committee.
“Some state institutions deliberately falsify and backdate receipts whenever they are invited to appear before the Committee for a public hearing,” he said on Thursday in Accra.
Mr Avedzi, therefore, advised those who engaged in the practice to desist from it or face the consequences.
The PAC Chairman gave the caution when he reviewed documents presented by the Water and Sanitation Board in the Ahafo Region.
The 2020 Auditor-General’s report indicted officials of the Water Resources Commission for some audit infractions.
Per the report, the Commission had, for the past two to three years, not been able to provide satisfactory documents to the Auditor-General.
However, appearing before the PAC, Mr Avedzi said officials came up with a receipt to cover the payments that were made.
“I put it to you that the receipts have been backdated,” the PAC Chairman said.
Surprisingly, the officers of the Commission admitted to the Chairman’s statement.
Responding, Mr Avedzi said: “That tells you how the system works. Something that happened in 2019 of which the audit was done in 2020, now the receipt was written on 1st February 2023 but backdated.
“That receipt, when you trace it to the records of the company or enterprise, you won’t get it anywhere recorded in any of their books so the whole system is some way, ” he added.
