Magistrate In Corruption Web

THE CONCERNED Ada Citizens Forum, a group made up of indigenes of Ada, a fishing community in the Greater Accra Region has petitioned her Ladyship the Chief Justice Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood to help probe the former magistrate of the Ada Magistrate Court, Jonathan Avogo.

According to them, the former magistrate has indulged in alleged corrupt practices involving the purchase of furniture for the Ada Magistrate Court with money from the Ada Project Funds; a fund set aside for the development of the community, without lawful authority.

A copy of the petition which is in possession of DAILY GUIDE, alleged that Mr. Avogo posed as a member of the Community Development Committee and received and deposited funds into his personal bank account and disbursed same without the committee's authority.

He was also accused of engaging in deceit by refurbishing old furniture of the court and posed them as new ones he has purchased.

The background of the allegations was that as part of efforts to promote administration of justice in the Ada East District, the Chiefs, Opinion Leaders, Assembly Members and other indigenes decided to contribute towards the construction of a Circuit Court in the district to expedite action on court cases in the district.

“An appeal was therefore launched and a committee was set up to receive donations and contributions both in cash and kind towards the attainment of our dream. To the best of our knowledge, the District Magistrate was not selected as a member of the committee but he surprisingly, went and imposed himself on the Committee and caused an amount of GH₵20,644 which was donated by Ideal Finance Company for the provision of furniture for the project to be issued in his name. The cheque was paid into his personal Ecobank account at Weija branch through the Tema Community 6 branch of the Ecobank,” the petition alleged.

“Without the authority and approval of the Ada East Development Committee, Mr. Avogo who always claimed to have the backing of the Judiciary in Accra, some Ada Chiefs, the Member of Parliament of the Ada East Constituency and the Ada East District Chief Executive started disbursing the amount in a very suspicious manner.”

According to the petition signed by three assembly members, Zebulon Okudzeto, Salem Electoral Area, Fianu Francis, Kudzragbe Electoral Area and Joseph K. Kisseh, Alata Electoral Area, it later came to light that Mr. Avogo purchased furniture for the project from the donation.

“Our search revealed however that, part of the said furniture was old furniture of the old District Court which the Magistrate caused to be polished and these he submitted as part of the few he purchased.”

“It has come to our notice that Mr. Avogo condoned and connived with a local contractor to issue receipts to cover the purchases of the other items which were in fact, donations made by some  private individuals as part of their contribution towards the project,” the petitioners alleged.

They continued that some complaints received indicated that some monies which were donated to Mr. Avogo never went into the project's accounts.

The petitioners averred that Mr. Avogo had left the jurisdiction unannounced to a destination unknown and are therefore appealing to the Chief Justice to use her high office to bring Mr. Avogo back to Ada to render account on the project funds.

From Vincent Kubi, Ada-Foah