Ejisu Assembly denies alleged fraud

Mr. Kwaku Afrifa Yamoah Ponko, MCE Ejisu-Juaben Assembly

The Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly has denied, in categorical terms, that it has been  involved in any fraudulent activity regarding an amount of GH¢50,000 received from the Ministry of  Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) for disbursement by the Assembly.

A statement issued by the Assembly, and signed by Mr. Owusu Frempong Boadu, Municipal Co-ordinating Director, on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Kwaku Afrifa Yamoah Ponko, said the disbursement of the said amount by the Assembly could not be fraudulent, as reported by the media.

It said the amount was transferred into the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) fund account of the Assembly without any accompanying advice, and that having traced the guidelines covering the amount without success, it (Assembly) obviously concluded the amount was part of the usual in-flow of funds from the HIPC Secretariat to the Assembly, as a result of which the Assembly was compelled to utilise the amount on some of its priority projects.

The Assembly's position is in reaction to an allegation by Mr. Richmond Frimpong, Assembly Member for the Abenase Electoral area in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, who is pushing for the release of about GH¢15,000 as his share of the HIPC Fund for the rehabilitation of the local primary school at Abenase.

According to the Assembly Member, a Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) letter No. MOS/HIPC/O94 dated January 6, 2009, authorised the release of GH¢50,000 to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for disbursement to the Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly for the roofing of the Okyerekrom Primary and Junior High School, restoration of the Abenase Primary School, as well as the roofing of the Onwe Health Centre in the Municipality.

The projects, he said, were to be carried out under the direct supervision of the Member of Parliament for the constituency.

The release of the said fund follows the fulfillment of the requirements for HIPC (Poverty-Related) Funds.

The Assembly Member said the GH¢15,000, supposed to be the share for the restoration of the Abenase Primary School, and was to be lodged into the HIPC Account of the Ejisu Juaben Municipal Assembly, cannot be traced at the Assembly, thus leaving the said project unattended to.

According to him, all efforts to find out the state of the said HIPC fund had proved futile, since the Municipal Chief Executive, the Co-ordinating Director, and the Presiding Member were all tight-lipped over the money.

Mr. Frimpong has, therefore, appealed to the government, through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), to intervene and help him retrieve the said amount of money to be used for the purpose it was released.

But the Assembly says the claim by the Assembly Member, as was reported in the media, was not the correct picture of the situation, and explained that in January 2009, the Assembly received a letter from the MOFEP, through the Presiding Member, setting out the guidelines for the disbursement of the amount as Roofing of the Kyerekrom Primary School – GH¢25,000; Restoration of the Abenase Primary School – GH¢15,000, and roofing of Onwe Health Centre-GH¢10,000.

The Assembly explained that since the amount had already been utilised, the Assembly met the local assembly members concerned, and decided to compensate them with other projects in lieu of the itemised ones, as directed by the MOFEP.

As a result of the decision, a one storey eight classroom block with office and store, and an eight-seater Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit (KVIP) toilet, at a total cost of GH¢124,000, was started  at Okyerekrom, which project coming under a CBRDP project is 80% complete, and into which the assembly committed GH¢44.000.

A-unit classroom block with office and store at GH¢52,000 has been completed at Onwe, while the Assembly plans to roof the Onwe Health Centre this year.

The Assembly indicated that Abenase was the only community left to benefit from this package, but gave the assurance that the rehabilitation of the Abenase Primary School would be completed within the year.

The statement further indicated that the Assembly had rather committed more funds to the   projects in the said communities than the original GH¢50,000 earmarked for them, and that  accompanying payment vouchers on the utilization of the amount are available at the Assembly's Finance Office for verification by interested persons.

The Assembly also made it clear that Mr. Kwaku Afrifa Yamoah Ponko, who assumed office on May this year as the Municipal Chief Executive, was not privy to the receipt and utilisation of the said amount of money, and cautioned against unnecessary mudslinging against office holders.