In a report by myjoyonline, the long-dormant Sky Train scandal is back in the spotlight as Ghana’s New Attorney General, Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, begins taking steps to implement recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
James Klutse Avedzi, Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission and former PAC chairman, has exposed years of bureaucratic delays that allowed those implicated in the failed project to escape accountability.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition, Avedzi detailed how PAC pushed for action on the Sky Train scandal—only for its recommendations to stall at the executive level.
“One of the issues that we recommended is the Sky Train issue,” Avedzi said. “If you heard the Attorney General at his recent press conference, he said action is being taken on the committee’s recommendation. We really recommended that people should be prosecuted, and fortunately, that is coming up now.”
A Project Gone Wrong
The Sky Train project was once promoted as a transformative transportation solution for Ghana. Yet despite millions spent on feasibility studies and consultancy fees, not a single track was laid.
PAC’s investigation uncovered serious financial mismanagement and procurement breaches, leading to strong calls for prosecution. But as Avedzi explained, those recommendations faced frustrating delays.
PAC’s Limited Powers
“Ghanaians think that the committee has the power to punish people on the spot, but we do not. The committee doesn’t have that power to punish. You can only recommend,” Avedzi said.
He revealed that before his tenure, PAC reports were routinely adopted by Parliament—only to gather dust without implementation.
“Before I became chairman, the previous chairman would bring reports to the plenary, we would adopt them, and then implementation would become a problem. It would be left there. Nothing would be done about it. But I decided that when people flout the procurement law, we will recommend them for prosecution.”
Breakdown in Communication
A major obstacle, Avedzi said, was a lack of coordination between Parliament and the Attorney General’s office. At one point, the AG claimed he had never received official instructions to act on PAC’s findings.
“We recommended a number of people, I cannot even count them, to the Attorney General to prosecute them. At a point, the Attorney General told the committee that there was no communication from Parliament to him that these are the people who have been recommended for prosecution,” Avedzi recalled.
“So I had to do whatever I could to ensure that the Clerk of Parliament communicated the decisions of the plenary to him, which he did eventually. But that took almost two years.”
Even after the communication gap was closed, no prosecutions followed.
“Now it’s left with the Attorney General to prosecute the people, but nothing has been done about that,” Avedzi lamented.
A System That Encourages Impunity
The failure to punish offenders, Avedzi argued, has emboldened corruption. Many officials see PAC hearings as mere public shaming—knowing there are rarely real consequences.
“People know that their only difficulty is appearing before the Public Accounts Committee. You come on television, your family and friends will see you being interrogated. Whether you provided good answers or not, that is what happens,” he said.
“They know that after that, the report goes back to the executive for implementation, and nothing happens. That is what we are lacking.”
The Way Forward
Avedzi stressed that PAC’s work relies entirely on Auditor General reports—meaning only audited cases reach the committee.
“Our work as the Public Accounts Committee is the product of the Auditor General. So anything that is not covered in the Auditor General’s report doesn’t come to us. We don’t get to know about it,” he explained.
Despite PAC’s efforts, enforcement remains weak. Avedzi noted that while 100% of his reports were adopted by Parliament, implementation has been consistently stalled.
“The solution is to punish people. Whatever is recommended in a report to the plenary, the executive must ensure that it is implemented,” he insisted.
“People who need to be prosecuted must be prosecuted. If found guilty, they must be punished. That is the only way this will serve as a deterrent.”
For now, the Sky Train scandal remains a stark reminder of Ghana’s struggle to hold power to account.