PAC Orders Sunyani West Assembly to Refund GH₵116,000 in Unauthorised Payments

The Public Accounts Committee has directed the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly to refund GH₵116,000 after uncovering the незаконный disbursement of public funds as end-of-service benefits.

The directive was issued during a sitting on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, as the committee reviewed findings from the Auditor-General’s Report. Lawmakers raised concerns after it emerged that the assembly had approved payments totalling GH₵135,000 to certain staff without any legal or statutory backing.

Officials from the assembly, who appeared before the committee, admitted to the irregularity but indicated that steps had already been taken to recover the funds. So far, GH₵19,000 has been retrieved, leaving an outstanding balance of GH₵116,000.

The committee described the payments as a serious breach of financial regulations, particularly the Public Financial Management Act, and questioned how such a transaction bypassed internal audit controls.

Chairperson of the committee, Abena Osei Asare, expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of recovery and issued a firm ultimatum for the assembly to repay the remaining amount within 30 days.

She instructed that proof of payment must be submitted to the Audit Service and copied to the committee, warning that failure to comply would attract further administrative and possible legal consequences.

The intervention forms part of ongoing efforts by the committee to enforce accountability and curb the misuse of public funds, particularly the unauthorised allocation of internally generated funds and statutory resources for staff benefits.

The assembly has also been directed to submit a detailed report on the recovery process, as attention now turns to whether officials will meet the deadline or face stricter sanctions.