Koforidua, July 29, GNA - Six hundred (600) public officials, in the Eastern Region, have attended a sensitisation workshop, on the new Financial Administration Act, which seeks to promote the "zero tolerance for corruption" policy of the ruling New Patriotic Party.

Participants at the two-day workshop, being organised by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MFEP), also discussed the Internal Audit Agency Act and the Public Procurement Act.

The Act provided for a Financial Administration Tribunal, to prosecute public servants implicated in adverse findings of the Auditor-General's Department annual reports.

The Act, which comes into force on August 27, this year, provides that any officer who accepts money or is influenced by valuable considerations in the performance of official duties, or conspires with another person to defraud the state would be liable either to a fine of 100 million cedis, 10 years jail term or both, if found guilty. Any public officer who accepts or receives money or allow valuable considerations to influence him or her, commits an offence and is liable to a summary conviction to a fine not exceeding three times the amount so offered or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both.

A resource person from the MFEP, Mr Tony Dzadzra, said the Financial Administration Act would authorised the seizure and sale of the property of any public official who defraud the state.

The Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, said Government was determined to bring about greater efficiency, transparency and accountability in the management of public funds at all levels. 29 July 04