Has Kumbuor Develop Cold Feet Over NPP Man’s theft
case ?

Only the developing of cold feet for reasons best
known to himself can explain why the Attorney-General & Minister for
Justice, Dr. Ben Kumbuo has failed to take to court a case that is easier to prosecute
than not to prosecute.

The case, titled ‘The Republic Vrs. E.A. Agarko and
Two Others’ has led to the loss of a colossal
sum of ¢8,000,000,000 (now GH ¢800,000) to the state and may further result in
the first accused, the NPP’s Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko worming his way into
Ghana’s parliament as MP for the Ayawaso Constituency.
The National Democrat’s investigations reveal that
all the suspects in the case are former and present staff of the Food and Drugs
Board (FDB) Headquarters, Accra. Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko is the former
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FDB. Genevieve Nelson is the former accountant
and Head of Accounts while Kofi Edem Kugbey is the Internal Auditor.
In the 2004 Budget Statement, funds were allocated
to the FDB to carry out some consumer activities. Between 2004 and 2005, the FDB
under the management of E.K Agyarko awarded contracts to fifteen (15) companies
to print educational materials. The companies are
1. Omega
Company Ltd Accra
2. Buck
Press Ltd, Accra
3. Momento
M. Enterprise, Accra
4. Excellent
Printing Press, Accra
5. Lord
B. Company Ltd, Accra
6. Dot
Com Printing Press, Accra
7. Dospong
Printing Press, Teshie-Nungua
8. Cynjosco
Ventures, Teshie-Nungua
9. Murex
B and M Ltd, Accra
10. Mega
Graphics, Accra
11. Imagine
Consult
12. Omega
A. Coy Ltd.
13. Print
Line
14. Quick Supplies
15. Logistics
Systems
16. Fastline
17. Sudan
Creation
18. Scientific
Ventures
19. Emmasco
Co. Ltd.
20. El-Fat
Printing Press
The printing of the materials amounted to eight
hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢800,000.00). The contracts were not made under
Tender Entity Committee as required by the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act
663). Investigations revealed that in 2004/2005 Audit Report, only three (3)
payment vouchers totaling GH¢53,939.70 were sighted for audit. Payment vouchers
for GH¢746,060.30 could not be produced for audit. Agyarko and his accomplices could
not provide any distribution list for verification as to whether the various
printed materials were actually procured and used in the interest of the FDB.
During the investigations, a total of nineteen (19)
payment vouchers, contract letters, internal memos, invoices and local purchase
orders totaling GH¢746,060.30 were retrieved from the FDB office. These
documents were not pre-audited by the Internal Audit Unit of the FDB before the
funds were disbursed. Way bills and Supplies Received Advices (SRAs) were
conspicuously missing in the documents mentioned above. Agyarko and his
accomplices dubiously raised the contract letters and payment vouchers to
embezzle the funds due without any corresponding way bills and Supply Received
Advices.
The payment vouchers and the local purchase orders
were prepared by suspect Genevieve Nelson the former accountant and head of
accounts and subsequently approved by E.K Agyarko without pre-audit by the
Internal Audit Unit. Investigation further disclosed that on one occasion E.K
Agyarko and Genevieve Nelson had to
literally compel the stores officer, Mary Nana-Amfoah Williams, to prepare some
fake Supply Received Advices (SRAs) as though they had taken delivery of
printed materials in order to cover up the deal.
Investigations at the Zonal Offices of the FDB in
Bolgatanga, Kumasi and Ho indicated that they each received some printing
materials from the FDB Headquarters during the period but there were no records
to show the worth of the materials received. At the Registrar-General’s
Department investigations showed that three of the companies that were alleged
to have been awarded the contract do not exist or are not registered as their
particulars could not be traced. They are
1. Dot
Com Printing Press
2. Lord
and B Company Ltd
3. Murex
B and M Ltd
Omega A.
Company Ltd, even though a registered company is into building construction and
general merchant activities. Scientific Ventures, another registered company is
into mineral water production, consultancy in mathematics, management service
and dealers in computers but not printing.
Sources at the A-G’s
department have told this paper that workers are puzzled as to why Dr. Kunbuor
has failed to take the case to court since he has confided in a few trusted
lieutenants that the case was a good one.
Stay
tuned for more+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++