Accra, Sept. 5, GNA - The Board of Directors of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Friday asked the Auditor-General to furnish it with the relevant documents Management earlier requested from him to enable the Agency to respond to certain issues raised in the interim report on Payroll Audit of January 1998 to December 2001.

A statement issued following an emergency meeting of the Board on Thursday to consider media publications that alleged salary malpractice in the GNA assured the public that it would state its position on the issue after a thorough study of the matter.

The statement, signed by Mr Rex Owusu-Ansah, Chairman of the Board, stressed that the documents were critical for a full response to be made to the Auditor-General's query. The Board expressed surprise at the publication of an interim report in the media, saying it was unfair to the GNA, which had not had the chance to respond to the contents of that interim report.

"It is unfortunate that an interim Report has found its way into the public domain, and is being sensationalised in such a away as to cast a slur on the reputation of the Agency and its officers," the Board said.

Giving background to the issue, the Board said on August 2002, GNA received a Management Report on Payroll Audit of GNA -January 1998 to December 2001 from the Auditor-General.

The GNA, it said, forwarded its response on October 4, after which the GNA received a follow-up report in July 2003, with a directive to respond within 30 days.

The Board said the GNA in response wrote to the Auditor-General on August 4, requesting for some documents to enable it to respond to the said report.

According to the Board, the documents requested for included appendices to the report, which although referenced in the report, were not attached.

"As at the time of the Board's emergency meeting on September 4, 2003, GNA had not received any response from the Auditor General. Without those documents, GNA will not be in a position to fully respond to the Report."

It stressed: "For now the Board repeats that the GNA is awaiting the Auditor-General's response."