Banks Warned Against Unreported Gov’t Suspense Funds

The Auditor General Mr. Daniel Yaw Domelovo has warned that banks doing business with monies meant for government's suspense account will be surcharged.

According to Mr. Domelovo, the practice amounts to siphoning monies from the state, thus a criminal act which his administration will report for the appropriate legal actions to be taken against such banks

Mr. Domelovo made this known at a Western Region Payroll and Personnel Verification Audit of the Government of Ghana's Payroll in Takoradi.

He says his team, made up of competent lawyers, is gathering evidence from institutional heads that instructed the transfer of separated employee's salary into government's suspense accounts but are trading with it illegally.

He explained that “If the head of a government institution has actually instructed a bank to pay the salary of an employee, who is separated, into the government's suspense accounts but the bankers refuse to effect the transfer, we are going to surcharge the bank and also insist they pay interest on the amount”.

He continued that “what happens mostly is that the banks do not transfer it into the government's account but use it in their business because they don't get to pay interest on it. We are going to surcharge these banks. We are digging for evidence from the institutional heads that upon the “exit” of a government worker, followed up with a letter to the bank and other relevant institutions to seize transfers.”

The Western Region's Payroll and Personnel Verification Audit of the Government of Ghana's Payroll exercise aim to audit some 41,000 government employees. Out of the number, the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Area harbors 11,000.

The remaining 30,000 civil servants are in the remaining 21 districts in the region.

The team is expected to spend some two weeks at different headcount centers in many public institutions across the region.