THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament is gradually being recognised by Ghanaians as one of the surest ways of ensuring strict compliance as far as the disbursement and accountability of public funds are concerned.

Recently, some heads of public schools and bursars were brought to book and made to refund monies they had either embezzled or misapplied. Others who have not kept their books according to the procedural requirements are waiting for their turn to explain why.

Since the PAC sittings began last year, many lapses regarding the proper methods of disbursement of and accounting for public funds have been exposed, much to the outrage of Ghanaians. Evidently, all is not well with the security of the tax-payer’s money, and the exercise has come to restore hope in probity and accountability.

Today, ghost names are being eliminated from the government payroll and improprieties of all sorts are being exposed. The media is doing a good job offering daily coverage of the proceedings of the committee, and the process of ensuring accountability in the public and civil service will not be an issue to be toyed with.

The grand exposures of financial improprieties also bring to question the role of auditors in the public accounts system. Do the ministries not have adequate checks and counter-checks when it comes to the disbursement of public funds? What about external auditors and the Auditor-General’s overall supervision over public accounts? Should auditors wait for funds to be embezzled before they go looking for the culprits?

Hopefully, with the inauguration of the Audit Report Implementation Committees in public Corporations and MDAs, whose function, among others, is to ensure swift implementation of auditors’ recommendation and strengthen the hand of internal auditors, that era of waiting whole years to detect and correct frauds is gone.

The Spectator lauds the PAC for dealing firmly with financial irresponsibility in the public sector. Their work, needless to say, must be a year-round exercise to put public office holders on their toes. Our democracy is still in its infant states. As it grows, so should a strong regime of accountability. We can foresee that the PAC’s existence would act as a deterrent. Office holders would pause and consider their actions because an impartial policeman and judge (i.e. the PAC) would favour no criminal.

Government loses huge sums of money yearly due to crooked accounting procedures, doctoring of figures, inflation of prices and all sorts of dubious and unwarranted practices that take place to enrich private pockets.

The tax-payer deserves to know how his (or her) money is being disbursed. Is it in the interest of the nation or in the interest of unscrupulous heads of departments, unsupervised accounting staff and people who think public funds need not be accounted for? The current exercise is a reminder to the contrary.