The Auditor General (AG) has uncovered a disturbing practice at the Judicial Service where various sums of money cannot be reconciled.

The AG said in its 2015 report that “the service consistently failed to obtain bank statements from HFC bank, as a result it was unable to reconcile revenue totaling GHS2,969,409.39 and deposits amounting to GHS2,846,435.82 and £75,000.00” collected on behalf of the service by HFC at various courts with bank statements.

Also, according to the report, the AG’s review of the service’s Internal Audit report revealed that unclaimed deposits totalling GHS209, 035.30 are being held by the former banks of the service.

The report further noted that physical inspection of Danida sponsored projects for the Service at Kasoa and Winneba disclosed that barely two years after construction, the building at Winneba had developed many cracks and almost all the locks on the doors are faulty, whilst the toilet facilities at the Kasoa District Court could not be used due to non-completion of the manhole.

“Total investment in the two projects amount to GHS1, 241,585.86,” it said. At the Fiapre Circuit Court B in Sunyani in the Bono Ahafo region, the report mentioned that the accountant could not produce bank statements from Ghana Commercial Bank to “authenticate total revenue of GHS193, 393.20 purportedly deposited with the bank.”

Again, at the Sunyani Commercial Court, the AG’s review of bank statements of the deposit account disclosed that eight standing order debits made by NIB between March and May 2015 amounting to GHC126, 821.00 were without the order of the court and an application from any litigant.