The chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Kwadwo Mpiani has been called upon to commission a full-scale investigation into the circumstances that led to the folding-up of Ghana Tours, a charter flights and travel and tours company - which strayed into scheduled commercial operations - so as to bring to book anybody who might be found to have outsmarted the unsuspecting customers and engaged in bad and unorthodox business practices.

According to Nana Korkyirem II, Anthony Ogunseitan, the Head of Planning of the dissolved company, "who operated a one-man company, misled the unsuspecting public into believing that the company had a board of directors and business partners."

At one time, according to Nana, Ogunseitan misled Ghana's Mission in London to intervene on his behalf with some authorities in Ghana, to assent to proposals that would have otherwise demanded due diligence.

All other relevant authorities have also been enjoined to team up with the Office of the Chief of Staff in investigating the background of the liquidated Ghana Tours, and Meridian Atlantic, a new company that has succeeded Ghana Tours, in view of maneuvers by the former to continue its (Ghana Tours') operations.

Nana Korkyirem II, a former Marketing Manager of Ghana Tours, in an SOS statement released to the media in Accra averred that a thorough Ghana Tours investigation would lead to startling revelations, which would inform the traveling Ghanaian public in making informed decisions in their dealings with the promoters, as well as tell Ghana Tours employees the truth, since they are being fed with half baked truths.

The investigations, Nana posited, would punish perpetrators of fraudulent business practices and also ensure adequate compensation to over 20 Ghana Tours employees and restore confidence in the Ghanaian business environment. 

Nana described as smart and stage-managed lies and deceit meant to throw dust into the eyes of Ghanaians for public sympathy the reasons given by Tetteh, the General Manager in Accra, as causes for Ghana Tours' fold-up.

In straightening the records, Nana made it clear that Ghana Tours does not own aircrafts to operate charter flights but rather enters into agreement with aircraft owners to engage in charter operations, adding that Ghana Tours basically sells tickets and arranges tour packages for tourists, "and so if an aircraft owner is no longer interested in doing business with Ghana Tours there cannot be any justification for the company to fold up", Nana submitted.

He then observed, "deceit, dishonesty, cheating and manipulation are the real causes of Ghana Tours' fold-up".

He disclosed that Ghana Tours filed for bankruptcy in London in November, 2007 for its Accra-London-Accra charter operations, but Ogunseitan immediately formed Meridian African to continue Ghana Tours' operations, "and cleverly continued to mislead Ghanaians that everything was alright as far as the operations of the company were concerned, and so to use flight cancellation by Air Namibia and minor clarifications with UK authorities, as causes to close down a company, amounts to fraud".

Nana asked any team of investigators to look into circumstances that led to the resignation of the board chairperson and other directors from Ghana Tours.

He said Ogunseitan's grand design to perpetuate his bad business practices deterred the employees from getting unionised with the Trades Union Congress.

Nana revealed also that the unsuspecting travelers were made to pay for summer 2008 traveling reservations in October, November, and December 2007.

Nana took exception to the concluding paragraph of the Ghana Tours' press statement that stated, "Ghana Tours' fold-up marked the end of a chapter in the history of low affordable flight travels to and from Ghana on the UK route, which Ghana Tours pioneered, sustained and survived over five years, in spite of economic and  political pressures".

Nana descried that portion of the statement as a fallacy and a figment of somebody's wildest imagination, saying no where in the five years of Ghana Tours' operations had there been any political pressure brought to bear on the company's operations, stating that the alleged economic pressure was purely due to mismanagement of company assets and resources. Source: The Statesman - The Statesman