The Institute for Liberty and Policy Innovation Ghana (ILAPI-Ghana), a civil society organisation, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately commence investigation into the alleged fraud and forgery against former Public Relation Officer (PRO) of Ghana Education Service (GES), Rev Jonathan Bettey.

According to the organisation, the alleged fraud and forgery, if not investigated, has the potential of denting the image of GES and the Ministry of Education in general.

In a two-paged petition presented to the Serious Crime Registry at the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service in Accra yesterday, the president of ILAPI-Ghana, Mr Peter Bismark Kwofie, said it is shameful and an indictment on the image of GES to let go the allegation.

Bad picture

Speaking after they had presented the petition, Mr Kwofie said it was time the civil society rose up and be interested in issues of such nature because they painted a bad picture of the country to the outside world.

“We wish to bring to your attention a fraudulent act alleged to have been perpetrated by a former PRO of GES, Rev [Jonathan] Betty, for forging his promotional letter to the current rank of a deputy director within the service,” he stated.

Mr Kwofie said the alleged fraud and forgery came to light when the Deputy Director-General of GES, Mr Anthony Boateng, was engaging in a radio discussion on Kasapa FM, a radio station in Accra on January 5, this year.

“Mr Boateng alleged that this criminal conduct of Rev Bettey necessitated his transfer from the headquarters of the GES to the Central Regional office of the service. We are of the view that staff transfer should not be a tool for punishing a person who has committed a criminal offence,” he stated.

Bodies copied in the petition

In the petition, copies of which were sent to the Ministry of Education and the GES, the organisation called on these two educational players to, as a matter of urgency, take the issues seriously and ensure that the ordinary Ghanaian is satisfied with the outcome.

The vice president of ILAPI-Ghana, Mr Evans Badu Boampong, said GES is a public institution tasked with the responsibility of training future generations to become responsible citizens and so it is unfortunate to hear activities of forgery and fraud happening among the top officials.

“As a civil society organisation, we think there has been collusion among some GES members regarding the promotion of the former PRO and needs to be investigated to enhance equity and justice and instill confidence in the system,” Mr Boampong stated.

“By virtue of this, we are appealing to your office to institute investigation into the matter and bring all those involved to justice. We therefore pledge our unflinching support to the police in bringing finality to this issue.”

Background

On January 5, this month, Mr Anthony Boateng alleged on Kasapa FM that its immediate past acting PRO, Rev. Jonathan Bettey, had engaged in an act of criminality by forging his promotion letter.

The GES was compelled to come public with this revelation after Rev Bettey, who has been the mouthpiece of the education management body since 2015, told Kasapa FM’s Akwasi Nsiah in an exclusive interview that his reassignment was politically motivated.

Reaction

When contacted to react to the issues, Rev Bettey denied forging his promotion letter but declined further comment, saying he was not ready to challenge his authorities on this matter but was confident that his God would vindicate him at the right time.