Accra (Greater Accra) 25 October 2001 - Parliament on Wednesday deplored the extent to which the Judiciary has sunk itself into corruption and called for the prosecution of those officers who have embezzled public funds through the award of dubious contracts, outright neglect of financial procedures on local purchase order.
Concluding the debate on the 1997 Auditor-General's Report on the Judicial Service the members decried the dizzying corruption that engulfed an institution that was charged with the dispensation of justice, the protector of public and private property.
The report laid before the House yesterday accused the former Chief Justice, Mr Justice I.K. Abban of sweeping corruption especially for misapplying 1.9 billion cedis being tribunal panellist allowances.
He also involved himself in the daily financial administration of the service while an officer like Mr G. K. Fordjour through price differentials of supplies of goods swallowed 182 million cedis. The report said contracts were awarded without Tender Boards leading to favouritism and corruption.
Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, NPP-Nsuta-Kwamang called on Parliament to use Article 187 (6) which allows it to establish a committee to deal with any matters arising out of public accounts report.
He said the prosecution of the culprits should not only be left in the hands of the Police or the Attorney-General without Parliament showing its judicial powers in such cases.
"It is only then that we shall be fighting corruption". Ms Akua Dansua, NDC-North Dayi said prosecution of the corrupt officials would be further stretching the policy of zero tolerance to its proper destination.
She said it should be possible for government to retrieve the monies lost to the state through embezzlement and corruption. Niibi Ayi-Bonte, NPP-Odododiodio, said the Judiciary was held in high esteem and the level of their knowledge was unsurpassed and asked: "If judges are so corrupt who then judges the judge for public safety?"
He said Mallam Isa's case has set a precedent for people in the street to desire punitive measures to be taken against corrupt officials.
Niibi Ayi-Bonte called for the institution of a national price index for commodities so that a supplier on contract should not exceed a certain limit of prices.
Mr Paul C. Appiah-Ofori, NPP-Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, called for the institution of a mechanism whereby public accounts could be audited within a short time as check on financial malpractices.
He said the delays caused the nation to loose because if the embezzled money when retrieved might have lost value due to inflation.
Mr Mike Hammah, NDC-Effutu suggested that the nation should have a procurement policy to ensure that financial regulations were followed as check on corrupt officials and that "there must be a kind of technical auditing as a means of constantly monitoring public accounts".
Winding up the debate Mr Steve Akorli, Vice Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, commended Mr Nicholas C.A. Agbevor, Deputy Judicial Secretary for helping the committee in unearthing some of the malpractices.
Thanking members for their contributions Mr Akorli asked them to adopt the report as a way of checking corruption in the public system.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 October 2001 - Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on Wednesday said sufficient time should be given to allow the economy to pick up before the many requests for the creation of new districts could be met.
He said that "much as a case may be argued for the creation of more districts, the whole subject needs to be studied carefully especially in view of the heavy cost involved in the creation of a district".
Mr Baah-Wiredu was answering a question posed by Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao, NDC-Upper Manya Krobo on how soon the constituency would be elevated to a district status to accelerate the rather slow pace of development of the area.
He, however, gave the assurance that with the 2000 census now over the ministry would take up the issue of the creation of new districts with the Office of the President as required by sections of the Local Government Act and the Constitution.
When Mr Doe Adjaho, NDC - Avenor asked how much it would take to create a new district, the minister said it would cost not less than 10 billion cedis and that there was the need for involving all stakeholders at the district level to ensure that the requisite infrastructure could be met to provide the basis of a take-off of a district.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said that the ministry has since 1991 received 50 petitions for the creation of separate District Assemblies. The creation of districts are guided by factors of having a minimum population of seventy-five thousand people while a municipality required that the geographical area consisted of a single compact settlement with a minimum of 95,000 people.
A metropolitan area required that there should be a minimum of 250,000 people and the geographical contiguity and economic viability should be assured.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said there was merit in the creation of districts at least based on the population factor and he gave the assurance that the elevation of the Upper Manya Krobo to a district would be considered alongside others in due course.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 October 2001 - A Local Government Service Bill that seeks to complete the cycle of decentralisation in the country would be tabled in Parliament during this third meeting, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development said on Wednesday.
The major problem besetting the programme, the decentralisation of manpower to the various districts, would be addressed, Mr Baah-Wiredu said in Parliament.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the policy of decentralisation sought to radically restructure the government machinery by developing central administrative authority to the district level.
The policy would also fuse governmental agencies in any region, district or locality into one administrative unit through the process of institutional integration, manpower absorption, composite budgeting and provision of funds for the decentralised service.
"Legislative and regulatory provisions have been made in the Constitution, the Local Government Act 1993, Act 462, the Civil Service Law 1993 and various enactments to ensure an effective and efficient decentralised public administration system for the country."
Mr Baah-Wiredu said under the programme, 22 departments and agencies ceased to exist as main line units of central Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He said the ministry was collaborating with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to prepare policy and operational instruments, processes and procedures for fiscal decentralisation that would include a review of the Financial Administration Decree and L.I. 1234.
"The idea is to de-segregate the national budget. Currently, there is a team working on the National Fiscal Decentralisation Project, with Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) providing financial and technical support."
The Minister said the implementation of the recommendations of the team's report would facilitate composite budgeting at the district level.
On problems besetting the programmes, he said personnel function of some departments and agencies have remained centrally controlled.
"There are also problems of logistics, office and residential accommodation and qualified manpower to man decentralised departments and agencies at the district level."
Mr Baah-Wiredu said:"Another problem is the attitude of staff, especially the reluctance of the heads of main line departments to relinquish staff control to District Assemblies."
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