The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) has recommended that the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (MoESS) should refer the matter of non-payment of $70,000 due it by former Black Stars Coach, Mariano Barreto to the Attorney-General for further action.
This latest development is contained in the PAC's Report on the 2005 Auditor General's Report on the audited accounts of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), which is to be debated by House tomorrow and Wednesday.
The Report, signed by the Chairman of the PAC, Hon. Samuel Sallas-Mensah, recalls that Barreto was granted a salary advance of US$ 30,000 but vacated his post subsequently. At the time of his separation, US$13,800 of the advance remained outstanding.
It reveals that the MoESS reported the matter to FIFA for arbitration and FIFA ruled in favour of Ghana and compensation of $70,000 awarded for breach of contract.
" Mr. Barreto is, however, yet to honour the ruling of FIFA, " the report stressed, and noted that although the Ministry had promised to pursue the matter further with FIFA, in the wisdom of the PAC, the Attorney-General should employ legal means to pursue the case.
The issue of unearned salaries was also pervasive with the MoESS, the report further revealed. It is "particularly common within the Ghana Education Service and the Non-Formal Education Division of the Ministry (NFED) ".
Total unearned salaries recorded in the Auditor-General's report against the GES and NFED was 159.9m cedis and 83.2m cedis, bringing total unearned salaries from the two agencies to 243.1m cedis.
The unearned salaries were allegedly attributed to the Controller Accountant General's inability to promptly delete names of separated staff from the payroll and the failure of some banks to heed to instructions fromanagement to withhold and transfer into the consolidated Fund, salaries of the said separated staff.It was however pointed out at the Committee's Sitting that MDAs are now the managers of their payroll and can therefore delete names of separated staff of their respective Ministries without reference to the CAG.
It was further noted that per the provisions of section 298 of the Financial Administration Regulations (FAR), L. I.1802, the banks are enjoined to repay into the Consolidated Fund, all unearned salaries of public servants upon notification by the head of department. Failure to comply with such a directive constitutes a breach of financial discipline as provided for by regulations.
The PAC reveals that as at the time of compiling the report, a total of 34,929,574 cedis of unearned salaries had been recovered leaving a balance of 151,570,426 cedis.
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