The growing establishment of fuel and gas stations in residential areas has sparked concerns, particularly from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.

Consequently, PAC has charged the authorities in charge, the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to take and enforce stringent measures against individuals and companies that establish petrol and gas stations within densely populated residential areas.

Speaking during a committee sitting, the Acting Chair of PAC, Samuel Atta Mills, highlighted the dangers associated with the act siting the devastation and risk it poses to both lives and property.

He emphasised the need for the EPA to step up enforcement to safeguard lives and property.

“The dangers in siting petrol and gas stations within residential communities are real and deadly in times of emergencies. Such actions must not be entertained,” Mr Atta Mills cautioned.

He further urged the EPA to review its licensing procedures to prevent operators from exploiting loopholes in the system, noting that some individuals were using falsified or questionable documents allegedly issued by the agency.

Committee Member and MP for Atwima Nwabiagya North, Frank Yeboah, also called on state institutions to strengthen oversight and address recurring regulatory breaches among both public and private entities.

“State agencies must work harder to stop the ritual of infractions we continue to see. We cannot afford to compromise public safety,” he said.

Ghana has faced longstanding challenges with the illegal siting of fuel and gas stations, especially in residential and environmentally sensitive areas, due to weak enforcement, political influence, and outdated regulations.

One of the officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has urged the public to serve as watchdogs by promptly reporting individuals or companies constructing fuel stations in unauthorised locations.

The Chairperson of PAC, Hon. Abena Osei-Asare, questioned how the EPA continued to grant permits to firms and individuals to build fuel stations in restricted areas despite knowing the risks involved.

In response, the EPA official admitted that, in recent years, there had been an upsurge in the issuance of such permits, often due to undue political influence. He revealed that some officials were pressured by powerful individuals or politicians to approve licenses that contravene environmental and safety regulations.

The official, therefore, cautioned the public and those involved in such illegal acts to be mindful of the grave dangers these practices pose to lives and property.

About PAC

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Ghana was established under Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution and formally constituted as part of Parliament’s Standing Committees. It has existed since the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic, which began in January 1993.

Its mandate is to review reports presented by the Auditor-General on public accounts of Ghana, to summon ministries, departments, agencies (MDAs), and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to explain financial infractions and irregularities, and sometimes suggest sanctions, recoveries, and referrals for prosecution.

However, since its establishment, PAC has reportedly had no documented record of ensuring the prosecution, and in other cases, the imprisonment of culprits, though its recommendations can trigger EOCO investigations or Attorney-General action.

Over the years, the Committee has engaged several public institutions and heads of these institutions over reported financial irregularities, but little to no penalties have been documented, particularly to serve as a deterrent. It will be recalled that in 2017, PAC recommended the prosecution of officials at the National Sports Authority for misappropriating funds, but no confirmed convictions followed.

In a separate incident in 2021, the committee traced non-existent staff under GETFund and MASLOC, yet again, no jail terms were recorded.

In 2023, PAC recovered GH₵12.9 million, but this was through repayments, not criminal penalties.

Meanwhile, more than GH¢12.9 billion in misappropriated public funds has been retrieved following a collaboration between PAC and the Auditor-General’s Department.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, October 1, Chairperson of PAC, Abena Osei-Asare, attributed the development to the collective efforts between the Auditor-General’s Department and PAC.

“One thing I am clear about is that what we are doing is yielding positive results. We have a report we will look at. Per the work of the Public Accounts Committee, and with the support of the Auditor-General, we have been able to retrieve GH¢12.9 billion. There is a whole report on that which we will be sharing with the public at the right time,” she said.

According to her, the Committee will make the report's details public at the appropriate time. The Committee is scheduled to resume its sittings on Monday, October 27. Various ministries, departments, and agencies have been interrogated by PAC in recent weeks to address infractions highlighted in the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report.

Recently, the Director of Administration at Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), Dr Emmanuel Sena Kwasi Donkor, appeared before PAC after the AG’s report suggested that the hospital paid salaries amounting to GHS 1,449,000 to a deceased staff member over a period of 26 months.

Dr Donkor affirmed the report, adding that the hospital has so far recovered GHS303,558.68 of the total amount. He explained that the banks previously handling the transactions had indicated through letters that they had ceased processing them.

“We were able to recover some amounts. Before we got here, we had received letters from some banks stating that they had stopped transferring the funds to the government chest,” Dr Donkor told the Committee.

He further urged Parliament to intervene and help the hospital recover the remaining funds. “Maybe at the end of this session, we will make a prayer to this House for the House to make an order directing those banks to transfer,” he said.

Dr Donkor revealed that his outfit has submitted the names of the individuals implicated in the act to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for recovery. “EOCO has written back requesting the files of the people involved, and we have submitted them,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ranking Member Samuel Atta-Mills raised serious concerns regarding the issue. “Habib Napare – date of separation was 2022. This guy had died. Didn’t you go to the funeral? And you validated this dead person for 26 months? And now you are coming to tell Parliament to do what?” Atta-Mills asked sharply.

In the meantime, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has released a fifty-page report covering investigations and prosecutions carried out between January 1 and July 31 this year.