Ex-MP in hide and seek with audit team

…Over ¢140 million GETFund THE FORMER Member of Parliament for Amansie West, Mr. Stephen Cobbinah Buor-Karikari, is said to have gone into hiding to avoid an audit team which visited his constituency last February over a ¢140 million he assessed from the GETFund.

The Chronicle has gathered that the ex-MP outwitted the Assembly in sourcing the fund, having lied to the Assembly that the Public Accounts Sub-Committee of Parliament had made funds available for the project.

A three-classroom block sited at Nyankumase and for which an amount of ¢140 million was sourced from the GETFund by Buor-Karikari has since been abandoned.

The Bekwai District Audit Service led by one Mr. Ansu uncovered the abandonment during a two-week auditing of the Amansie West district.

It was revealed that the former MP had accessed a total of ¢140 million from the GETFund which was released in two installments of ¢90 million and ¢50 million on the recommendation of the then District Director of Education, one Mr. Amoah now on transfer to Mankranso.

The audit team has recommended that management of the Amansie West District Assembly ensures that the project is completed in view of the fact that Buor-Karikari is reportedly playing hide and seek with both the Assembly and the auditors to answer queries.

Official sources of the Assembly have, however, indicated that it would be unable to continue with the project until the former MP has shown up and justified the disbursement of the fund.

Assigning reasons for its inability to take over the project as it is now, our source said the money and the project did not pass through the normal procurement procedure, which smacked of a fishy deal.

In the circumstance, the Assembly did not engage any consultant, neither was the District Planning Co-ordinating Unit (DPCU) charged to evaluate and monitor the project to warrant the Assembly's involvement.