Law School has no internal Auditor - Witness

Accra, Sept. 1, GNA - Mr John Kpacha, Senior Accountant of the Ghana School of Law (GSL), on Thursday said the School had no internal auditor.

He said Mr Isaac Enim, who served as an internal auditor until 2004, told him that during his tenure of office, he never had the opportunity to do any auditing since no accounts were brought to him for auditing.

Mr Kpacha, who appeared before the Committee of enquiry investigating allegations of abuse of office against Mr Kwaku Ansa-Asare, Director of the Ghana School of Law, said he was not in a position to do anything about the problem.

He claimed that it was the duty of the Director to rectify the situation and he did not do anything about because it was dangerous to be on the wrong side of Mr Ansa-Asare, adding that one's job could even be threatened.

Mr David Mawuena Djentuh, a Former Librarian of the GSL and a Petitioner, said when he noticed that purchase of books was not done the right way in the GSL, he tried to consult Mr Ansa-Asare but often ended up being driven out of his office.

He said on 18th August 2003, for example, he noticed that 50 copies of Longman's English Dictionary had been brought to the Library. Mr Djentuh said apart from the fact that they were not law dictionaries they had been documented officially as being 100.

He said he then followed up to Mr Ansa-Asare's office "where I was asked by the Director to shut my big mouth and walk out of his office".

Mr Djentuh said when he contacted Mr Emmanuel Dodoo, who had then been put in charge of the Library; he explained that Mr Ansa-Asare had indicated that the remaining 50 would be supplied to the Library later.

Mr Djentu said as at the time he was being re-deployed by Mr Ansa-Asare in September 2004, the remaining books had not been supplied. He said Mr Ansa-Asare also did not even consult him on actions he took concerning the Library adding that books were on several occasions moved in and out of the office without his knowledge.

Mr Djentuh cited an instance when Mr Ansa-asare called him to his office on November 5, 2003, introduced him to some men, who he described as Policemen and told him that they would take out some books.

He said Mr Ansa-Asare did not allow him to go through the official procedures such as invoicing that went along with book sales and purchases, adding that when he attempted to pursue the matter with the Director in his office, he was driven out.

Mr Djentuh said after that he never pursued the matter again.

Answering questions from the Committee on where the school bought books, Mr Djentuh said he could not personally be sure of that since the Director always excluded him from decisions he took concerning the Library.

He said Mr Dodoo, however, told him that the books were from Read Wide, a book supplying company.

Mr Djentuh said he was not aware of any other company that supplied the School with books.

He also told the Committee that although Mr Dodoo was his messenger who only had a Middle School Leaving Certificate and was, therefore, not qualified to be a Librarian, Mr Ansa-Asare made him the Librarian.

Mr Djentuh said after his removal from the office, a metal container was brought in and located behind the Library in which stocks of old books were removed from the Library and kept.

"In law librarianship this is not done because old law books are the best," he said.

He also complained that he only received a memorandum from Mr Ansa-Asare to leave for the General Legal Council and said although he had appealed to the General Legal Council he had received no reply.

Mr Alfred Agbozo, who worked at the Ghana School of Law as a Secretary to the Director, told the Committee that he was unlawfully dismissed by Ansa-Asare and demanded compensation.

Ms Evelyn Allotey, who also worked with the GSL as a court recorder for four years, said in October 2002, she received a letter asking her to relinquish her duties while she was on maternity leave.

She said although she petitioned the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), they had only told her that their efforts to contact Mr Ansa-Asare were proving futile, as he was not responding to their calls.

The Committee assured all petitioners that they would thoroughly investigate their complaints.

Mrs Linda Doku, Registrar of the GSL, Mr Kwasi Asuama Odoom, Acting Chief Accountant of the GSL and Three Sigma Incorporated are scheduled to appear before the Committee during its next sitting on Tuesday September 6 2005.