Accra, July 25, GNA - Mr P.C. Appiah Ofori, Member for Breman/Asikuma/ Brakwa, on Tuesday called on Parliament to be proactive in the anti-corruption drive by pursuing recommendations in the annual reports of the Auditor-General.

According to the member, since the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic, reports of the Auditor-General had not been given the attention they deserved.

Mr Ofori, who was contributing to a motion for the adoption of a report on the Public Accounts of Ghana for the Year ended 31st December 2003, said "when people steal, they must be punished but Parliament has failed in this respect".

He asked that outstanding debts should be re-valued for offenders to pay the appropriate value.

According to the Member Ghana lost about two trillion cedis, saying, "after all the investigations reports and recommendations I don't think anything will come out of this".

Mr Stephen Balado Manu, NPP-Ahafo Ano South, said there was much lip service in the fight against corruption.

He said Parliament should wake up and live up to its responsibility of acting on the recommendations of the Auditor-General's Report. He said some time ago certain officials in the Ahafo Ano South District misused 500 million cedis and when he reported the issue to the relevant authorities nothing was done about it.

"I am wondering what would become of the people who are said to have squandered 123 million cedis in the same district." Mr Balado Manu said Parliament should discard "window dressing, and cosmetic type of fighting corruption".

Meanwhile Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu, Second Deputy Speaker, directed that the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament should meet with the Leadership of the House to prepare proposals that would help the Legislature to take action on the recommendation of the Auditor-General.