Special Prosecutor Petitioned To Chase Former Deputy CEOs Of GEPA

The Special Prosecutor (SP), Martin Alamisi Amidu has been petitioned by Strategic Thinkers Network (STRANEK) a policy think-tank to probe the two former Deputy Chief Executives of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) who have been cited for allegedly receiving approximately GHC 24,000 for clothing allowance for six months.

The two officials, Amoako Twum and Akilu Sayibu were recently indicted by the Auditor General during a Special Audit of GEPA, to have blown the amount on clothing allowance between June 2018 and December 2018. They reportedly squandered this amount on cloths despite having been sacked from GEPA in June 2018.

The Audit Report also indicted the two deputies for taking home their official laptop computers, while Mr. Twum further cited for taking an additional GHC 54,340 for soft furnishing, despite receiving $60,000 as two years rent allowance in May 2017.

These reports, STRANEK Executive Director Gideon Tetteh, believed reenforced that taking monies to which they were not entitled, means they have acted in a manner that is corrupt.

" Per the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959), the onus lies on us to petition your office on matters that involve or may involve corruption and corruption related offences hence our petition to your office. We kindly hope a logical conclusion will be brought on our petition," STRANEK demanded in a petition dated July 1, 2019.

Portion of the petition further reads, “We wish to petition your office with respect to two former government appointees of Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) who have been indicted by the Auditor-Generals Report for still taking clothing allowance six months after they were sacked."

According the Auditor General in its March 2019 report of the special audit on selected state institutions, it noted that clothing allowances amounting to GH¢38,187.50 was undeservedly paid to the former ES, Hon. Gifty Klenam and two former deputy ESs for the period June 2018 to 31 December 2018 even though the President had relieved them of their duties on 7 June 2018.

The report also explained that, when Gifty Klenam attention was drawn to it, she quickly refunded her portion of GH¢14,625.00. The balance of GH¢23,562.50 received by Messrs Amoako Twum and Akilu Sayibu, are yet to be recovered from them.

The Audit Report however recommended that the two former officials of GEPA be surcharge for the act.

But Mr. Sayibu who spoke to Citifm, an Accra based radio station recently on the matter, insisted he never receive any clothing allowance, arguing he was not a signatory to the authority accounts.

According to him, the auditors had notified him through audit observations and he also explained his side of the matter and was surprise the Audit team went ahead to concluded their report without adding his side.