The Minority in Parliament has accused the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, and the Controller and Accountant General of colluding to block and unlawfully withdraw 1.4 billion Ghana Cedis from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) account at the Bank of Ghana this November.
The allegations follow an earlier controversial withdrawal of 11.3 million Ghana Cedis between February and April 2025, which the Minority claims has already disrupted operations and development across various assemblies.
Addressing journalists in Parliament, Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, said the Finance Ministry’s actions represent a clear breach of constitutional provisions.
He argued, “It’s becoming clear that that was a deception. It was a clear deception. They pay with the right hand and then they are unpaid, so to speak, or they take out their money with the left hand.”
Dompreh provided specific figures and dates to back the claims, stating, “Between February, March, and April, the Controller and Accountant General swept some 11.3 million Ghana Cedis and 3.2 million Ghana Cedis from the account of the common fund. As you do know, the District Assembly Common Fund are constitutional funds… earmarked towards a certain project, assemblies, the MPs, contractors, the youth, a lot of variables.”
He added that while 3.2 million had been returned after complaints, the 11.3 million remained outstanding. The latest alleged sweeping involves 1.4 billion Ghana Cedis.
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Annoh-Dompreh highlighted the constitutional implications arguing that, “The Minister of Finance and the Comptroller cannot direct or redirect or re-assign these payments… They are redirecting these funds to where they so please, and it’s against the Constitution. This is totally unconstitutional.”
Annoh-Dompreh urged President Mahama to intervene immediately to address what he termed an illegality and ensure the full recovery of the funds.
He emphasized that the Minority would escalate the matter in Parliament under Order 93-1 if no solution is found, describing the actions as “an insult to the intelligence of the Ghanaian people” and “a knee-jerk reaction… like a thief has been caught stealing.”
He further warned that the redirection of funds could have international repercussions, noting that portions of the DACF are financed by multilateral grants from Switzerland and Germany.
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Annoh-Dompreh concluded by insisting that the matter must be addressed immediately, asserting, “We must restrain the Comptroller and the Minister of Finance. The Comptroller cannot take these actions without the blessings of the Minister of Finance. If it is the case that the Minister of Finance do not know anything about it, then he will have to come and defend himself and speak to these matters.”
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
