The Minority in Parliament has alleged that the Majority intentionally stalled proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during its examination of a special audit report involving GH¢68 billion in government arrears.

The dispute arose after Majority members abruptly exited a committee session, bringing the sitting to an end.

Addressing Parliament, the committee’s chairperson, Abena Osei Asare, described the development as a major disruption to a critical national assignment. She noted that the committee had already commenced work in line with the timeline set following the referral of the audit report.

According to her, the absence of essential members made it impossible for the committee to proceed. She further raised concerns about how the interruption could affect the committee’s ability to meet its deadline.

Mr Speaker, a report on the special audits was referred to the Public Accounts Committee, and we were given timelines within which to work and present our findings. We began today [March 25] at nine o’clock. Around 11:15 a.m., one of the whips from the Majority side came in and said they had to excuse their members. Without the required ranking members, we could not continue,” she said.

“So today, we had to halt proceedings and ask the invitees to leave and return at another time. I seek your guidance on the way forward, considering the timelines and the fact that all invitees were present,” she stated.

In response, the Majority has dismissed suggestions that it deliberately interfered with the committee’s work.

Speaking on the floor, Majority Chief Whip Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor explained that the decision was due to the demanding schedule of Parliament rather than any attempt to derail the process. He stated that an earlier agreement had been reached to pause committee sittings temporarily to allow MPs to concentrate on plenary duties.

He added that overlapping committee engagements and plenary sessions could impact attendance and quorum, emphasizing that the committee still has sufficient time to complete its assignment.

“Mr Speaker, the impression that we are not interested in the committee’s work is not accurate. We met yesterday [March 24] and decided that, because of the heavy nature of business, committee activities should be suspended until Friday,” he said.“We suggested that committees could sit after adjournment or between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. before plenary begins. If committee sittings clash with plenary, it affects our numbers and raises issues of quorum,” he added