General News of Saturday, 31 August 2019

Source: yen.com.gh

Journalist petitions CHRAJ to investigate alleged corruption at PBC

PBC workers demonstrated earlier this month over mismanagement in the company PBC workers demonstrated earlier this month over mismanagement in the company

A broadcast journalist Nana Kwadwo Jantuah has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate alleged corrupt activities at the Produce Buying Company (PBC).

The two-page petition seeks to draw the attention of CHRAJ to the “corruption and a breach of statutory functions” at the PBC.

Mr. Jantuah also accused the company of mismanagement and breaching the fundamental rights of its workers.

According to journalist, he would readily appear before CHRAJ with appropriate documents to substantiate his claims, if given the opportunity.

He further alleged that the PBC has been posting losses in recent years, adding that some workers of the company have been using its hospital facilities for free.

“Document intercepted suggest that, the former General Manager of PBC, Mr. John Benam Jabaah (currently the Deputy Northern Regional Minister) personally withdrew an amount of GHc 1.5 million from the company’s account at the main branch of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) in Tamale, to purchase nuts from a dealer in Burkina Faso in 2018,” a section of the petition reads.

“Also, the company apparently purchased machines meant for groundnut processing instead of Sheanut processing, and this led to the initial cost of 576,000 dollars increasing to 1.6 million dollars.”

Mr. Jantuah, therefore, wants CHRAJ to thoroughly investigate of PBC with immediate effect in order to save the public purse.