加纳总统 John Dramani Mahama 先生已下令立即解散国家大教堂董事会并正式关闭其秘书处。此前德勤会计师事务所的审计报告揭露了该项目存在一系列财务违规、采购违规和未经核实的支出，政府官员称这些发现 "令人震惊"。

加纳政府通信部长 Felix Kwakye Ofosu 先生近日在总统府向记者表示，这一决定是基于审计报告中揭露的严重问题。该报告发现这个备受争议的项目在执行过程中存在财务违规、采购违规和未经核实的支出。

"上述审计发现动摇了项目基础和秘书处工作，对公共资金的使用提出了严重质疑。" Ofosu 先生声明道。

他透露，原先设在总统办公室的国家大教堂秘书处已于 2025 年 5 月正式解散。此外，已启动法律程序解散这个以担保有限公司形式注册的项目。

"鉴于此，总检察长已被指示采取法律措施...我们预计将在未来几天完成。" 他补充说。

Mahama 总统还指示审计长对秘书处和项目的整体运营进行法务审计，指出德勤的审计未能涵盖全部范围。

"法务审计完成后，将针对已确认的不当行为和项目本身未来采取果断行动。" Ofosu 先生表示。

该项目最初被设想为促进宗教旅游的文化地标，计划包含圣经博物馆、圣经花园、宴会厅、350 座餐厅、图书馆和会议中心。但 Ofosu 先生透露，迄今已耗费国家 9700 万美元 -- 其中 5800 万已支付，另有 3900 万欠款待付承包商。

"值得注意的是，现有文件显示，与普遍认为国家大教堂项目迄今总支付和承诺金额为 5800 万美元的观点相反，还有 3900 万美元应付承包商欠款未支付。" 他披露道："这将使项目工地这个大坑的总成本达到 9700 万美元。"

审计报告发现支付给顾问公司的款项存在重大差异，包括支付给 David Adjaye 爵士建筑事务所的 490 万加纳塞地差额无法解释。同时还存在违反采购法的行为，包括合同批准前就付款，以及单一来源采购合同缺乏必要理由。

一个特别令人不安的问题是，Nehemiah 集团的合同到期未续签后仍持续获得 523,521.03 美元付款。该集团还获得 110,630.56 美元用于在美国组织毫无成果的筹款活动。与此同时，另一家公司 Kubik Maltbie 为类似项目协调工作获得了 Nehemiah 集团近 87% 的报酬，引发了对重复支付重叠职责的担忧。

报告还指出，已解散的董事会成员 Victor Kusi Boateng 牧师拥有的 JNS 人才中心有限公司曾申请 260 万加纳塞地贷款无据可查。尽管用项目资金偿还了这笔贷款，但未找到相关贷款协议支持该交易。

此外，捐赠记录存在大量不一致和未核对的移动支付交易，总额超过 3800 万加纳塞地。报告还详细记录了文件缺失、重复审批和未经核实的支出——包括酒店账单、国外差旅和支付给博主的费用。

例如，非洲圣经博物馆研讨会办公和住宿费用 349,847 加纳塞地中有 292,681 加纳塞地无法说明去向。报告还发现项目采购委员会组成违反了《公共采购法》规定。

Ofosu 先生最后向公众保证将公布德勤审计报告，总检察长 Dominic Ayine 先生正在依法终止与这个失败项目相关的所有合同，以避免国家进一步经济损失。

"总检察长兼司法部长正在采取措施确保依法终止合同，防止国家承担更多成本和损失。" Ofosu 先生说。

国家大教堂项目的丑闻预计将引发更广泛的问责措施，并重新点燃关于宗教、治理和公共财政交叉点的全国性辩论。

President Mahama Orders Dissolution of National Cathedral Board over “Damning” Audit Findings

President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the immediate dissolution of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana and the formal closure of its Secretariat, following what government officials have described as “damning” revelations in an audit report by Deloitte and Touche.

Addressing journalists at the Jubilee House on Friday, July 18, the Minister for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said the move followed serious concerns raised in the audit, which uncovered a trail of financial irregularities, procurement breaches, and unsupported expenditures in the execution of the controversial project.

“The above audit findings rock the very foundation of the project and the work of the Secretariat and raise serious questions about the use of public funds,” Mr. Kwakye Ofosu declared.

He disclosed that the National Cathedral Secretariat, which previously operated from the Presidency, was officially dissolved on May 1, 2025. Additionally, legal processes have been initiated to dissolve the project, which was registered as a company limited by guarantee.

“In view of that, the Attorney-General has been directed to take legal steps… and we expect that to be done in the coming days,” he added.

President Mahama has also directed the Auditor-General to conduct a forensic audit into the broader operations of the Secretariat and the project, noting that the Deloitte audit did not capture the entire scope.

“After the forensic audit, decisive action will be taken regarding any impropriety determined and the future of the project itself,” Mr. Kwakye Ofosu stated.

The project, originally envisioned as a religious and cultural edifice to boost faith-based tourism, was to feature a Bible Museum, Biblical Garden, banquet hall, 350-seater restaurant, library, and conference centre. But as Mr. Kwakye Ofosu revealed, it has so far cost the state a staggering $97 million—with $58 million already paid and an additional $39 million still owed to the contractor.

“It bears noting that documentation available indicates that contrary to the widely held view that total payments and commitments to the National Cathedral Project amount to $58 million so far, there is an additional outstanding $39 million payment due the contractor,” he disclosed. “This will bring the total cost incurred for the hole at the site of the project to $97 million.”

The audit report identified significant discrepancies in payments made to consultants, including Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd., where a GHS 4.9 million variance in reported payments remains unexplained. Procurement laws were also violated, with payments made before contract approvals and sole-sourced contracts lacking required justification.

A particularly troubling issue flagged was the continued payment of USD 523,521.03 to The Nehemiah Group after its one-year contract expired without renewal. The group was also paid USD 110,630.56 to organise fundraising events in the US that yielded no results. At the same time, another firm, Kubik Maltbie, was paid nearly 87% of what The Nehemiah Group received for similar project coordination roles, raising concerns about duplicate payments for overlapping responsibilities.

The report also cited an unsubstantiated GHS 2.6 million loan request from JNS Talent Centre Limited, owned by a member of the dissolved Board of Trustees, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng. No loan agreement was found to support the transaction, though project funds were used to repay it.

Further, donation records were found to be riddled with inconsistencies and unreconciled mobile money transactions amounting to over GHS 38 million. Poor documentation, duplicate approvals, and unsupported expenditures—including hotel bills, trips abroad, and payments to bloggers—were also detailed in the report.

In one instance, GHS 292,681 out of GHS 349,847 spent on office costs and accommodation for a symposium hosted by the Biblical Museum of Africa could not be accounted for. The report also found that the composition of the project’s Procurement Committee violated provisions of the Public Procurement Act.

Mr. Kwakye Ofosu concluded by assuring the public that the Deloitte audit report will be published and that the Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, is working to lawfully terminate all contracts linked to the failed project to avert further financial losses to the state.

“The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice is taking steps to ensure the lawful termination of the contract to prevent further costs and losses to the state,” he said.

The scandal surrounding the National Cathedral project is expected to trigger broader accountability measures and reignite national debate over the intersection of religion, governance, and public finance.

来源：加纳图文在线

翻译：无尽夏

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