National Cathedral Secretariat denies misappropriation allegations

The National Cathedral Secretariat has denied allegations of financial misappropriation in the handling of state funds allocated to the controversial cathedral project.

According to the secretariat, an independent audit found no evidence of wrongdoing.

In an internal memo to staff dated July 21, Executive Director of the Secretariat, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, described recent claims made at a government press conference as misleading and incomplete, insisting that the audit confirmed that all public funds were accounted for and disbursed in line with contractual obligations.

The Secretariat’s response follows the July 18 briefing by government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, which cited troubling findings from a Deloitte & Touche audit of the Secretariat’s operations between December 2021 and December 2023.

The government accused project managers of procurement breaches, unsupported expenditures, and governance lapses, including payments to consultants after contract expiry and overlapping responsibilities between firms.

However, Dr. Opoku-Mensah clarified that what the government presented publicly was not the full audit report, but rather the Management Letter, a section that outlines audit queries and internal control concerns.

He stressed that this document did not include the Secretariat’s official responses, which are standard in a complete management report.

“While the government press conference made reference to audit findings, what was presented was not the actual audit report but rather audit queries that had been responded to in detail,” the memo noted.

He further stated that the audit found no instances of misappropriation and that all funds received were used within the parameters of approved contracts and oversight.

“This audit report does not exonerate anyone. However, it confirms that there has been no misuse of state funds. All payments made were supported by contracts and guided by legal and financial protocols,” the memo stated.

The Secretariat also expressed concern about what it sees as a public mischaracterization of the project’s financial status, especially the recurring notion that $97 million had been spent solely to “dig a hole”.

In response to the ongoing public debate, the Secretariat said the Board of Trustees will issue an official response in due course and urged staff to familiarize themselves with both the audit findings and the Secretariat’s responses in order to accurately represent the facts.

The National Cathedral project, once touted as a legacy initiative and national symbol of unity, has faced heavy criticism in recent years for cost overruns, lack of transparency, and stalled progress.

The government has since dissolved the Secretariat and announced plans to dissolve the Board of Trustees, pending a full forensic audit by the Auditor-General.

Despite the ongoing controversy, the Secretariat maintains that it acted within its legal and financial mandates and welcomes the opportunity to clarify its position to the public.

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