Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu
-HE & 4 OTHERS RECEIVED DOUBLE SALARIES AS MINISTERS, AUDITOR-GENERAL’S REPORT REVEALS
The work of the Acting Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah in the matter of the double salary payment to Ex-Ministers of [ads1]state continues to be cut out for her. One of the persons she needs to invite for interrogation as she has done others in this regard is the current Majority Leader, Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu.
The DAILY POST’s archival search has revealed that Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu and four others received double salaries when their emoluments as Ministers of state from January 7, 2005 t0 January 6, 2009 was paid to them. The five Ex-Ministers failed to report the over payment totaling GH¢94,080.00 to them and cashed it. Checks by this paper reveals though the five were informed later by the over payment by the Speaker of Parliament then, they have faied to pay back.
The other four Ministers are Ernest Debrah who was over paid by GH¢ 19,424.00, Christopher Addae who was overpaid by GH¢17,936.00. Kofi Osei Ameyaw, by GH¢ 17, 936 and Samuel Kweku Obodai, who also received GH¢ 17,936.00. Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu received GH¢ 20,848.000 more than he was expected to receive.
The over payment was detected after the Acting Auditor-General then, Richard Q. Quartey, per a letter received from the then Chief of Staff, Henry Martey Newman, directed him to audit the emoluments paid to the ex-Ministers.
After carrying out the directive, in a letter dated May 5, 2010, to the Chief of Staff, the Auditor-General revealed the double payments made. The letter reads;
The Office of the President by letter OP/COS/091/011 dated 29 March 2010, through the Chief of Staff, requested the Auditor-General to conduct an audit verification of Emoluments for Ex-Ministers and Members of Parliament and advise on:-
-whether there were shortfalls in payments made by the Office of the President;
-whether there were any overpayments by Parliament; and
-whether there is a basis for reconciliation of the various payments.
2. We have carried out the requested verification and submit that:-
(a) there were no shortfalls in payments made by the Office of the president; and
(b) there were some under and overpayments made by Parliament.
The basis of our conclusion is presented below
Basis for payments
His Excellency, the President by a letter dated November 5, 2009 requested that payments be made to Article 71 office holders who served between January 7, 2005 to January 6, 2009 as follows:
-Four (4) months’ consolidated salary for each completed year of service or pro rata to calculate the End-of-Service Benefit (ESB);
-Installation Grant of one (1) month’s consolidated salary; and
-Resettlement Grant of one (1) month’s consolidated salary for each completed year of service
4. This request was conveyed to Parliament by a letter dated November 5, 2009.
Verification by category of beneficiary
Our verification confirmed that payments as specified above were made to the following categories of ex-appointees:
i. Ministers who were not Members of Parliament (non-MPs). There were paid all their benefits by the Office of the President;
ii. Ministers who were Members of Parliament (MPs’). These were paid their Ex-gratia by Parliament and Installation and Resettlement grants by the Office of the President; and
iii. Members of Parliament (MPs’) who were not Ministers. These collected their ESB, Installation and Resettlement grants from Parliament.
DETAILS OF FINDINGS
Payments to Ministers who were not Members of Parliament (non-MPs’)
6. The Office of the President paid the End-of-Service Benefits, Installation and Resettlement Grants to the 43 Ministers who were not Members of Parliament (MPs’). They received the full amounts as calculated by the Office of the President based on the Presidential directive.
7. Our verification confirms that there was no underpayment or overpayment to any of the beneficiaries described above.
Payments to Ministers who were Members of Parliament (MPs’)
8. There were 59 Ministers who were Members of Parliament (MPs’). The End-of-Service Benefit of these 59 Ministers were paid by Parliament, whilst their Installation and Resettlement Grants were paid by the Office President.
9. We observed that the monthly salaries used for the computation of their End-of-Service Benefit were lesser than their approved monthly consolidated salaries, thereby resulting in total underpayment of GH¢411,632.00 being made to 54 of the 59 Ministers. The details of the individual amounts now due to them are attached as Appendix ‘A’.
10. We noticed that the names of five (5) of the 59 ex-Ministers appeared again on the list paid by Parliament although they had their Installation and Resettlement Grants paid by the Office of the President. In effect, by the repetition, the five (5) ex-Ministers have been paid the Installation and Resettlement Grants twice.
11. After offsetting the underpayment due to them against the double payment made to them, the five (5) ex-Ministers are now therefore required to refund a total amount of GH¢94,080.00.
Payments made to Members of Parliament (MPs’) who were not Ministers
12. There were 176 Members of Parliament (MPs’) who were not Ministers. They collected their End-of-Service Benefit, Installation and Resettlement Grants from Parliament. Requests were made to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and funds were released to them for payment without passing through any audit verification process. After an analysis of the emoluments paid to them we found as indicated below.
End-of-Service Benefit
13. We noted that the monthly-consolidated salaries used for the computation of their End-of-Service Benefits were lesser than their approved monthly-consolidated salaries. This invariably resulted in their benefits being underpaid.
Installation and Resettlement Grants
14. In respect of the Installation and Resettlement Grants, however, we observed that the 176 Members of Parliament (MPs’) in this category were paid over and above the President’s directive.
15. After setting off the underpayments against the overpayments, it is our conclusion that a total amount of GH¢648.710.00 has been overpaid to the 176 Members of Parliament (MPs’) who were not Ministers and the amount is to be refunded by them.
The details are attached as Appendix ‘B’
Conclusion
16. The underpayments and overpayment by Parliament were as a result of the computations not going through any audit verification before being submitted to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for the release of funds for the payment
Recommendations
17. We recommend that:
(a) The 54 Ministers who were MPs’ who were underpaid a total of GH¢411,632.00 should have their short-payments refunded to them;
(b) The five (5) Ministers who were MPs who were paid double Installation and Resettlement Grants totaling GH¢94,080.00 should refund the amount overpaid to them as computed; and
(c)The 176 MPs who have been overpaid a total of GH¢648,710.00 should be requested to refund the amounts wrongly paid to them.
18. We again recommend that in order to avoid overpayments and underpayments in the computation of terminal emoluments, all such claims should in future be subjected to the audit verification process before the final submission to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for the release of funds for payment. By this arrangement, any errors in the computations would be rectified and entitlements properly certified before payments are finally made.
19. We further recommend that since Ministers who are Members of Parliament (MPs’) service both the Executive and the Legislature, there should be co-ordination and collaboration between the Office of the President and the Office of Parliament in the computation and payments of retiring awards and emoluments of all Article 71 office holders.
20. This supersedes my earlier report referenced Ag. AG/10/8 and dated 19 April, 2010.
RICHARD Q. QUARTEY
Ag. AUDITOR-GENERAL
On receipt of the report from the Auditor General, the Chief of Staff wrote to the Speaker of Parliament informing him of the over payment and the need for those who benefitted from the over-payments to return it to pay back. The letter from the President to the Speaker dated May 13, 2010 reads;
Rt. Hon. Speaker,
AUDITOR-GENERAL’S REPORT ON THE VERIFICATION OF PAYMENTS OF EMOLUMENTS FOR EX-MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
Please refer to the Chief of Staff’s letter No. OP/COS/091/VII dated 29th of March, 2010 addressed to the Auditor-General and copied to you.
2. The Auditor-General has since concluded the audit verification and issued his report, a copy of which is also attached, hereto, for your perusal. As you will see from the report, there were no shortfalls in respect of payments made by the Office of the President.
Some under and overpayments were, however, discovered in the payments made by the Office of Parliament. The details are:
(i) Fifty-four (54) Ministers who were Members of Parliament were short paid by a total of GH¢411,632.00. This was paid to them on the 7th of May, 2010;
(ii) Five (5) Ministers who were Members of Parliament were overpaid by a total GH¢94,080.00 and one hundred and seventy-six (176) Members of Parliament were overpaid by a total of GH¢648,710.00;
3. The purpose of this letter is to kindly request you to ensure that the overpayments indicated in paragraph (2)(ii) above are refunded by those concerned. Details of the overpayment to the individuals are indicated in the report
4. Accept, Honourable Speaker the renewed assurances of my high esteem.
PROF. JOHN EVANS ATTA MILLS
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA
THE RT. HON. SPEAKER,
OFFICE OF PARLIAMENT,
OSU-GHANA.
CC: The Vice President
The Chief of Staff
Hon. Minister of Finance and Economic Planning
Interestingly, Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, like a man who lives in a glass house but is throwing stones, though has failed to pay back what he was overpaid was all out some Ex-Ministers of the Mahama government when it was alleged they have received same double salaries. All eyes are now on what step DCOP Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah will take in light of this revelation.
More Anon
SOURCE: DAILY POST
