Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee has summoned management of the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) Thursday following Joy News expose on some questionable payments.
PURC Executive Secretary, Samuel Sarpong, and Head of External Affairs, Nana Yaa Jantuah were quizzed about how they expended the Commission’s monies for its nationwide tariff adjustment public hearing.
They explained to the Committee the monies were used for the intended purposes.
Former Head of Finance at the PURC, Isaac Hasan, was also invited to answer questions regarding his role in the payment of close to half a million cedis into the private accounts of Mr Sarpong.
He maintained the PURC boss instructed him to do the payment, despite a contrary view by Mr Sarpong.
Joy News investigations uncovered some questionable payment at the PURC in which an amount of GHC450,000 meant for public hearings on tariff adjustments was first paid into the private account of the PURC boss for disbursement.
Another document intercepted by Joy News also revealed the PURC spent over $32,000 on the two weeks trip of the board chairman, Dr Emmnuel Annan.
The Commission had budgeted $6,084 for the chairman’s hotel accommodation from 30th June to 13th July 2013.
Also, the amount of $1,400 was allocated for his meals, $7,000 for his per diem, $2,000 for his travel time, and $500 for his clothing. The amount of $2,000 was budgeted for his internal transportation and $3,000 for travel protocol, $2,000 for miscellaneous and $8,500 for airfare.
PURC has explained the trip was to afford Dr Annan the opportunity to study the national utilities regulatory commission in the United States.
In a chat with Joy News investigative journalist, Mr Sarpong said the trip was important since it will improve the capacity of the board chairman to steer the affairs of the Commission.
“He has not been travelling,” he said, adding among all the Commissioners, Dr Annan does not like foreign trips.
He said because the trip was part of the Commission’s programme, the board Chairman had to travel to understudy what the U.S. Utilities Regulatory Commission does.
It is not clear yet, what line of action, the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament intends to take.
Source: myjoyonline
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SIMPLY DISSMISS ALL AT THE TOP-NDC ***barred word***.
Yaa Juantuah, are you a woman at all? If all women politicians should behave like you, will there be the need for women day celebrations? Going through the expenses, i have realized that people just dont have any sense of morality anymore. Yaa Juantuah has been defending this PURC day in out, and if this what a public regulatory commission does, what will the finance administration do? Go on and on, we tired of your lack of common reasoning
WHILE GHANAIANS WERE STRUGGLING TO PAY EXORBITANT ELECTRICITY BILLS THESE PROFESSIONAL ***barred word*** WITH THE HELP OF JDM WERE PLUNDERING OUR STATE COFFERS....WHAT A SHAME!!!!
I NORMALL DON'T COMMENT ON ISSUES BUT THIS STORY MAKES ME SICK.AS A CHAIRMAN FOR THE COMMISSION,IS HE NOT PAID MONTHLY SALARY FOR THE WORK HE DOES?2,000 DOLLARS FOR TRAVEL TIME?WAS HE THE PILOT?500 DOLLARS FOR CLOTHING OH MY GOD,DOES IT MEAN THAT HE WOULD HAVE GONE THERE WITHOUT CLOTHING ON?HOW CULD YOU SPEND 32,000 DOLLARS ON JUST TWO WEEKS TRIPS AND JUANTOAH HAS THE GUTS TO SAY THE CHAIRMAN DOESN'T LIKE TRAVELLING AND SO WHAT?PEACEFMONLINE PLEASE SUCH BULLETING MUST NOT BE POSTED HERE BECAUSE IT INCREASES OUR BLOOD PRESSURE.ABUFO NS3M
Oh Ghana, land of 'pigmys'yet travels and lives 'giants'. Land of 'paupers' who live like 'princes'. Just bleeding the national purse to 'gold paint' their pockets. There should be financial limits for people in public office. If this is exceeded,the individual should pay the difference as is done in other juridictions.