Officials at the National Commission on Culture (NCC) are at their wits end as to how to prevent the press from exposing the embezzlement of millions of cedis at their Regional Centres until they find money to satisfy the staff whose monies have been embezzled.

Investigations conducted by your authoritative ‘Ghana Palaver’ indicates that there is an agitation going on at some Regional Centres for National Culture over an arrears due the staff, for which the Minister of Finance has released funds for payment for the period April to December 2000, but which for no apparent reason, have not been paid up till now.

A very reliable source at the NCC told the paper that the arrears cover the period from April to December 2000, on the percentage basis of 16 per cent fro junior staff, 11 per cent for middle level staff and seven per cent for Directors.

According to the source, similar arrears covering the period March to December the same year, was paid to the staff but the second release for April to December 2000 was kept a secret from the staff by some Directors until some members of the staff at Cape Coast uncovered the deal and requested their Director to pay them.

The Director has since refused to pay the staff with the excuse that the money was at the bank. The Director’s refusal to pay the staff, the source said, prompted one of the staff, Elolo Gharbin to petition the Dean of Directors of CNCs, who is also the Director in charge of the Western Region to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the allegation.

A meeting was quickly convened by the Director for Cape Coast and Mr Elolo Gharbin to cool down tempers but since the money was not paid, Mr Gharbin decided to petition the Chairman of the CNC to investigate the matter. Another source at the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), who are investigating the circumstances surrounding the said misappropriation confirmed the story saying the amount runs into millions of cedis.