Communications Minister, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, failed to appear before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) on Friday, causing PAC Chairman, James Klutse Avedzi, to explode in anger.
After MPs had readied themselves to host the Minister in respect of the Auditor-General’s report on the Accounts of Ghana for the 2017-2018 period, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful did not turn up.
Rather, she sent representatives to tell PAC that the President had sent her on a very important assignment.
This incensed Hon. James Klutse Avedzi noted that Ursula Owusu is the third Minister to fail to appear before PAC after sittings started on Thursday.
On the first day, PAC had surcharged the cost of its sitting on two Ministers and their agencies after the Ministers failed to appear before them.
Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako-Atta and the Works and Housing Minister, Francis Asenso-Boakye, along with their Ministers were surcharged in absentia too after they failed to appear before the committee at the commencement of sitting to consider the 2017 and 2018 report of the Auditor General.
James Klutse Avedzi, Chairman of PAC directed the Finance Department of Parliament to compute the cost that Parliament incurred for the two Ministers to pay.
On Friday, members of PAC had turned out ready to explore issues raised by the Auditor-General in respect of the various Ministries but these Ministers did not turn up.
Later, the Minister for Communication who was also scheduled to appear did not appear. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful had her reps tell the MPs that the President had sent her on a special assignment.
Mr. James Klutse Avedzi expressed unhappiness over the development and ordered all the absentee Ministers to appear before PAC on Friday at 2 PM.