The Authority used its own funds to pay the penalty after the NIA failed to immediately remit SSNIT contributions. This led to the decision being made.
The Public Accounts Committee maintained that Prof. Ken Attafuah and the financial controller should be responsible for paying the fine, concurring with the Auditor General’s conclusion.
Prof. Kenneth Attafuah was given an urgent one-month deadline to refund the sum at his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, February 7. The committee insisted on the Auditor General’s proposal and rejected his explanation for the payment delay.
“The recommendation is that you should refund the money, the money should be refunded from the Chief Executive and Financial Controller. You have come to explain why you did not pay the money you withheld to SSNIT but the committee will not accept your explanation. So, the recommendation of the Auditor General still holds, the Chief Executive and the Financial Controller should go and refund the money to the recovery account of the auditor general, and this should be done in one month,” said the committee.
Prof. Kenneth Attafuah responded by stating that the SSNIT contributions were delayed due to a lack of funding. He clarified that because there were fewer resources available at the time, the Authority gave wage payments priority over SSNIT contributions.
