Corruption Scandal Rocks PUSAG

Mohammed Sukparu

Close to 2.9 billion old cedis that UniBank is said to have lavished to the Private Universities Students Association of Ghana (PUSAG) in a sponsorship deal has taken flight without proper trace.

In place of GHc 286,000 that was endowed to PUSAG’s bank account with the headquarters branch of UniBank in 2015, GHc380.43 is the current account balance.

The debit status of account number 0210101549318 , hosted by the World Trade Centre branch of UniBank , is very telling of massive withdrawal traffic on the account that had received the GHc 286,000 deal money from UniBank, less than a year ago.

The problem, however, is that the rank and file of PUSAG cannot exactly recall how the money was spent.

Consequently , a corruption scandal is in the offing at PUSAG, with immediate past president, Mohammed Adams Sukparu, and immediate past chief operations officer, Oliver Aziator, caught in the middle of the rising tide of the upcoming low-up.

Investigations by the Enquirer into the issuce, after a tip-off by an insider , has thrown up facts that suggest that Mr Sukparu and Mr Aziator acted together to embezzle the money.

In their seeming collaboration, the two former officials of PUSAG even sidelined some officials who were supposed to handle the deal.

In March 2015, PUSAG hosted a gig called PUSAG Games and Entertainment program at the Paa Joe Sports Complex of the KNUST, Kumasi.

Prior to the gig, PUSAG has entered a deal with UniBank to partly sponsor PUSAG’s activities in exchange for PUSAG arranging for all member schools, opening accounts with UniBank. UniBank had advanced a whopping GHc 286,000 to PUSAG as part of the deal.

The money, which was endowed to PUSAG’s account with the headquarters branch of UniBank, in the World Trade Centre building , was supposed to be a good financial heirloom to be invested, grown and passed down to future PUSAG administration.

However, that was not to be as it seems the then president of PUSAG one other collaborator had other intentions for the money.

“Right form the onset, one could sense something fishy,” says former General Secretary of PUSAG, Pascal Navella.

According to PUSAG’s constitution, PUSAG’s bank account was supposed to have three signatories –the President, General Secretary and Financial Controller.

However, according to Mr Navelle, both himself and the financial controller were sidelined by the president in that duty.

Rather, President Mohammed Sukparu made himself and Oliver Aziator, the chief operations officer, signatories to the account.

Consequently, Pascal Navelle tells The Enquirer that he was kept in the dark as far as the GHc 286,000 deal money was concerned.

“Because of that when it was time for our handing over, I did not attend the ceremony. As General Secretary I was supposed to write our administration’s handling over notes, but the President refused to let me know the details of the deal.

“ And so by the time we were handing over, I did not have any proper information to inform the writing of a handing over note, which is why I did not attend the handing over ceremony,” Mr Navelle said.

He also pointed out that Oliver Aziator , the Chief operations officer believed to have connived with Mohammed Sukparu to embezzle the money, took over the duties of the general secretary by sending out information to organize people for the handing over ceremony.

Mr Francis Nordjoe, the immediate past financial controller, who is said to have also been sidelined by the president from his duties as a signatory to the Unibank account, has not been available to comment, as numerous calls to his phone went unanswered.

Neither has Oliver Aziator, the alleged collaborator of immediate past President Mohammed Sukparu.

Mr Sukparu, who recently indulged himself with a sleek Honda saloon car and a birthday bash at the plush Tulip Inn hotel at Shiashie , has refused to respond to the issue.

After several calls to his phone, he sent a message promising to call back and speak to the issue, but has since not called back or answered the calls after several days.

Documents that sources have made available to The Enquirer show that in his handing notes, he quoted an amount of GHc 119,000 (1.19 billion old cedis) as the cost for the PUSAG games

Sources note that the figure is outrageous because in 2014, when Benjamin Panlogo-Logodam was President of PUSAG, the PUSAG Games and Entertainment” had cost only GHc 17,009.

Benjamin Panlogo Logodam has confirmed to the Enquirer and expressed dismay about the GHc 119,000 that Mohammed Sukparu quoted as cost for the PUSAG games of his era.

Meanwhile, sources tell the Enquirer that the GHc 286,000 money that UniBank gave to PUSAG last year is not only the money that has gone unaccounted for.

Before the 2015 PUSAG Games and Entertainment would come on, member schools who had not acted on the deal with UniBank to open accounts with the bank had been forced to pay capitation.

Some eight schools, including KAAF University, Valley View University, Islamic University, All Nations University, and Zenith University College, had paid capitation of GHc 1,400.

Available documents show that a total of GHc 11,000 had accrued from capitation towards the 2015 PUSAG games alone.

“After paying capitation, the students were not fed, neither were they given accommodation. The money paid was just for participation, and so how come GH 119,000 is quoted as the PUSAG games alone?” Our source wondered.

Current PUSAG President and the Ashesi University’s Richard Odame, has been accused of attempting a cover up for his predecessor, Mohammed Sukparu.

Sources cite his blatant refusal to release information as principal indication of intent at cover- up.

Mr. Odame has unfortunately not been available.
Meanwhile, sources say that the issue has come to the attention of Dr. Joyce Aryee, CEO of Salt and Light Ministries, who is the chief patron of PUSAG.

It is also said that because of the scandalous outcome of the 2015 deal UniBank refused to sponsor the edition of the PUSAG games, even as the association ‘s bank account with it shows a negative amount.

Oliver Aziator