Former Chairman of Public Accounts Committee, James Klutse Avedzi [Credit: Parliament of Ghana via Facebook]
The long-dormant Sky Train scandal is finally gaining traction as the Attorney General takes steps to act on the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
James Klutse Avedzi, Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission and former PAC chairman, has revealed the years of bureaucratic delay that allowed those implicated in the project to go unpunished.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition, Avedzi detailed how the committee fought for accountability in the Sky Train debacle, only for its recommendations to be stalled at the executive level.
“One of the issues that we have recommended is the Sky Train issue,” Mr Avedzi disclosed.
“If you heard the Attorney General at his recent press conference, he said action is being taken on the committee’s recommendation. We really recommended that people should be prosecuted, and fortunately, that is coming up now.”
The Sky Train project, once touted as a revolutionary transportation initiative for Ghana, ended up as a financial nightmare.
Millions of dollars were spent on feasibility studies and consultancy fees, yet not a single track was laid.
PAC’s investigation uncovered alarming financial irregularities and procurement violations, leading to strong recommendations for prosecution. But those recommendations, according to Mr Avedzi, hit a wall.
“Ghanaians think that the committee has the power to punish people on the spot, but we do not. The committee doesn’t have that power to punish. You can only recommend,” he explained.
“Before I became chairman, the previous chairman would bring reports to the plenary, we would adopt them, and then implementation would become a problem. It would be left there.
“Nothing would be done about it. But I decided that when people flout the procurement law, we will recommend them for prosecution.”
Despite PAC’s efforts, action on the Sky Train scandal was delayed due to a breakdown in communication between Parliament and the Attorney General’s office.
James Klutse Avedzi recounted how a major loophole in the system allowed the Attorney General to claim he had never received official instructions to act on PAC’s findings.
“We recommended a number of people, I cannot even count them, to the Attorney General to prosecute them. At a point, the Attorney General told the committee that there was no communication from Parliament to him that these are the people who have been recommended for prosecution,” he said.
“So I had to do whatever I could to ensure that the Clerk of Parliament communicated the decisions of the plenary to him, which he did eventually. But that took almost two years.”
Even after this communication was finally made, no action was taken against those implicated in the scandal.
“Now it’s left with the Attorney General to prosecute the people, but nothing has been done about that,” Mr Avedzi lamented.
The inertia in prosecuting offenders, he noted, has emboldened corrupt officials who exploit the system, knowing that exposure by PAC does not necessarily lead to punishment.
Mr Avedzi stressed that PAC’s findings are based on reports from the Auditor General, meaning that only cases officially audited make it to the committee’s desk.
“Our work as the Public Accounts Committee is the product of the Auditor General. So anything that is not covered in the Auditor General’s report doesn’t come to us. We don’t get to know about it.
“But if it is covered in that report, we get to know of it. We invite the people to appear before us, and when their explanations are convincing, we drop the matter. If not, we push it forward.”
The inefficiency in enforcing PAC’s recommendations is not unique to the Sky Train scandal.
Mr Avedzi pointed out that all of his committee reports have been adopted by Parliament, yet the implementation process remains a major bottleneck.
“I must say, 100% of my reports have always been adopted. Now it is left for the executive to implement the decisions of Parliament—that is, the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee adopted by the plenary.
“But it goes back to the executive, and they fail to implement them. That is why I said the solution is to punish people. Whatever is recommended in a report to the plenary, the executive must ensure that it is implemented.
“People who need to be prosecuted must be prosecuted. If found guilty, they must be punished. That is the only way this will serve as a deterrent,” he said.
The Sky Train scandal serves as a glaring example of why corruption persists in Ghana, the Ketu North MP noted.
Mr Klutse Avedzi stated that the only real consequence for officials appearing before PAC is the public embarrassment of being interrogated on live television.
“People know that their only difficulty is appearing before the Public Accounts Committee. You come on television, your family and friends will see you being interrogated. Whether you provided good answers or not, that is what happens.
“They know that after that, the report goes back to the executive for implementation, and nothing happens. That is what we are lacking. If we are able to implement the report and punish people for wrongdoing, then those who think that, after the Public Accounts Committee hearing, nothing happens, will begin to change their position.”
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