Three 3 Million Condoms Missing Auditor General Reveals

The Auditor-General is pursuing a driver who failed to deliver about three million pieces of male condoms and other contraceptives valued at GHcent;1.34 million to the Regional Medical Stores (RMS) in the Eastern Region.

The driver, Joe Gyaten, was tasked to deliver the contraceptives, including 120,000 vials of Depo-Provera (birth control shot), to the Regional Medical Stores on August 22, 2022, but the entire consignment was never received at the stipulated destination.

Mr Gyaten has also not been able to account for the items until today, prompting the Auditor-General's inquest and efforts to recover the funds in accordance with Section 96 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).

Section 96 of the Act stipulates that a person, connected with the procurement or control of government stores, who is responsible for any deficiency in or for the loss, damage or destruction of any stores or any other government property, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment or a fine.

This was captured in the latest Auditor-General’s Report on the public accounts of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), which uncovered more than GHcent;2.41 billion financial irregularities in 2023.

The irregularities were mainly in the form of cash, tax, payroll, debts and loans, stores and procurement, contracts and rent.

Stores and procurement irregularities discovered during the period amounted to GHcent;2.06 million. It included the GHcent;1.34 million irregularities relating to unaccounted store items.

Tax irregularities formed 89.6 per cent (GHcent;2.16 billion) of the total financial infractions reported. The total cash irregularities detected during the period under review amounted to GHcent;88.41 million, which represented 3.7 per cent of the total irregularities.



The Mirror