Disregard reports of severed partnership with EOCO – PIAC says
The Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) says it has noted with concern media reports suggesting that it has withdrawn from a five-year partnership with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Reacting to the media reports on its severed partnership with the EOCO in a press release on Monday, November 15, 2021, PIAC urged the public to disregard the said reports or publications asserting that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between it and EOCO remains valid.
“PIAC will continue to collaborate with other state institutions towards ensuring the transparent and accountable management and use of petroleum revenue in Ghana for the benefit of citizens and also carry out its 3-fold mandate as enshrined in the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815),” noted PIAC in the press statement.
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PIAC signs MoU with EOCO
PIAC and EOCO on Monday, February 25, 2019, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
As part of the agreement, PIAC would among other things be required to furnish EOCO with accompanying documents that relate to publications, and where necessary it would avail itself to EOCO during investigations and also submit copies of reports highlighting sections that require further investigations.
For its part, EOCO would be required to update PIAC on progress of investigations that are related to matters referred to it by PIAC.
It shall also submit a formal report to PIAC upon conclusion of investigations referred to it by the latter.
The then Chairman of PIAC, Dr Steve Manteaw, said the MoU would help PIAC transition from a transparency institution to an accountability institution that would combat economic and organised crimes in managing petroleum revenues.
“Shedding light on what appears to be criminal conducts on the part of some public officials without holding such people to account does not serve the accountability mandate that may be inferred from our name.
“And yet our statutes of establishment did not provide us with the legal capacity to enforce our recommendations,” he said.
Dr Manteaw however, indicated that the five-year agreement which is subject to annual review would not restrict the organisation from engaging in similar agreements or arrangements with other entities or government agencies.
For his part, the Executive Director of EOCO, ACP K.K. Amoah, said the issue of managing oil revenue had been problematic in many countries and for that matter paying more attention to discrepancies arising from such revenue was crucial to the country.
He pledged the commitment of the organisation in ensuring that substantive matters that were being investigated would be referred to the Attorney General for prosecution.
