EU reacts to publication in UK's Sunday Times 

The European Commission has reacted to an article concerning aid to Ghana published in the December 14 edition of the Sunday Times in the UK saying that many of the allegations made in the article are wrong.

The Commission in a statement issued in Accra, says it was not late in informing the European Parliament and it is also not true that there is a lack of control of budget support.

However, it agrees that the problem of ghost workers and payroll weaknesses in Ghana has to be addressed urgently.

This and other key structural reforms, now being discussed with the I M F, are needed to improve Ghana's economic situation.

The Sunday Times in the UK, recently published that millions of pounds of European Union Aid from British taxpayers has been paid to "ghost workers" in Ghana in an alleged huge corruption scandal, leading to more than One Hundred and Thirty Five million dollars being withheld after EU officials learnt of the corruption, but allegedly failed to inform legislators and the public.

The European Commission says taxpayers, public opinion and the European Parliament expects full transparency and accountability in the use of development assistance.

It welcomes government's recent decision to set up an Inter-Ministerial committee to clean up the payroll.

This exercise the European Commission says must be done quickly and controls put in place to avoid new abuses before the EU will resume its budgetary support to Ghana.

GBC