Any appearance before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament is usually a moment of tension and intensity, especially because of the scrutiny that typically takes place at such encounters between the members of the committee and the people in the hot seats.

On most days, such engagements turn very contentious or tense but a Ghana Education Service (GES) officer managed to get the whole room intermittently giggling and laughing aloud.

Appearing before the committee for squandering overpayment of salary, Emmanuel Samson, a teacher at Akropong Number One D/A JHS, of the Gomoa West District, got the members of the committee riled up from the very moment he took his seat.

Asked by James Klutse Avedzi, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, “When you got the money, which was more than the amount you were expecting, did you know at that time when you received the salary?” he replied:

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“No, please. When I got the money, I thought it was my money until the auditors came in,” to which the whole room started giggling, with many of the members laughing.

The Ranking Member on the Committee, Davis Ansah Opoku (OPK), who is also the Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, then asked, “Like we say in our local settings, you have chopped the money? Mr Samson, you have chopped the money?”

“Yes, boss,” the GES officer answered.

(The whole room bursts into laughter once again)

“Alright, we are grateful for your sincerity…” OPK said.

The conversations continued from there, with James Azedzi asking Emmanuel Samson to ensure that, as he had assured the committee that he would pay back at the end of August 2024, he does so, or else he will instruct the auditors to take action against him.

Watch the moment as it transpired during the PAC sitting of Tuesday, August 20, 2024, below. Skip to time stamp 2:20:00



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