The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) has directed that an Interpol red alert be triggered to arrest a former teacher at the Pantang Nurses and Midwifery School who has failed to return after a study leave abroad.
The directive by the PAC chairman, James Klutse Avedzi follows the indictment of the woman identified as Afia Nyarkowaa by the Auditor General in its 2018 report.
According to the report, she was still drawing salaries she did not earn while on her study leave, amounting to about Ghc70,000, but has decided not to return to Ghana after the studies.
It came to light at the committee’s sitting on February 8 that all efforts by authorities to retrieve the money from Nyarkowaa have not yielded any result.
“Madam you have to contact the director of Interpol, provide the necessary details about her. I am sure you know where she is living now so that they can track her.
“Afia Nyarkowaa who was a teacher at Nursing and Midwifery Training College Pantang who left and earn close to over Ghc70,000 salaries that she knew that she wasn’t entitled to yet she received the money. We are getting the Director of Interpol to track her and get the money so that the government can retrieve the money,” PAC chairman Klutse Avedzi said.
To avoid the trouble and embarrassment that may come with arresting the woman through Interpol, he urged relatives of Nyarkowaa to contact the Pantang Nurses and Midwifery School to settle the debt.
It appears that no amount is too little in this time of economic downturn Ghana is grappling with amidst negative ratings by international agencies. It will be good if similar actions are taken against politicians who embezzle huge public funds.
