The Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Mr. Mustapha Ussif, has indicated that a mobilisation team has been established by the Scheme to go after agencies who issued dud cheques to the Scheme.
Mr. Ussif explained that the mobilisation team has been mandated to collect monies meant for the Scheme by some private agencies after deploying service personnel to work for those agencies.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the Executive Director told the Committee that some of the private agencies who issued the dud cheques gave wrong addreses to the Scheme and upon the Scheme’s arrival at the provided address locations, it was revealed that those agencies no longer exist at the provided location.
Mr. Ussif however, informed the Committee that some of the agencies were contacted and they have issued new cheques for payments.
Auditor-General’s report on dishonoured cheques of GH¢163,190.40
The 2016 Auditor-General’s report on Public Boards, Corporations and Other Stationary revealed that dud cheques were issued to the Scheme.
In contravention of Regulation 31 of the Financial Administration Regulations, 2004 (LI 1802), it was revealed that records of the Scheme’s Internally Generated Fund of GH¢53,219.27 and GH¢109,971.13 in 2014 and 2015 respectively were returned by the bank to the Scheme as dishonoured cheques.
The report revealed that management of the Scheme did not also make any effort, to recover the amount from the clients involved.
The lapse has caused the Scheme a loss of GH¢163,190.40 of revenue. Additionally, the debt has been understated; hence the amount was not been recognised in the financial statement according to the A-G’s report.
The A-G recommended that management of NSS should take the necessary steps to recover the amount of GH¢163,190.40 without further delay and the amount involved should be adjusted in the financial statements.
The A-G again recommended that the Accountant whose dereliction of duty caused the anomaly should be disciplined as stated in Regulation 8(1) of the Financial Administration Regulations, to serve as a deterrent.
Source: GhanaJustice/S.Ayisi
