Accra (Greater Accra) 20 April 

Mrs Matilda Fiadzigbey, Administrator of Stool Lands, on Monday denied allegations that there was "an intended fraud" involving 380 million cedis at the Stool Lands Administration.

An Accra weekly, "The Independent" in its Tuesday, April 13 issue published that Mr Agyare Koi-Larbi, Member of Parliament for Akropong said, "an intended fraud of 380 million cedis has been detected by the Minority group at the Stool Lands Administration of the Ministry of Lands and Forestry". The weekly said Mr Koi-Larbi made the statement from the floor of Parliament.

Mrs Fiadzigbey, who was briefing pressmen on the alleged fraud, described it as "baseless". She said the office was set up by the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands Act 1994 (Act 481) to be responsible, among other functions, for the collection and disbursement of stool lands revenue, including timber royalties, to beneficiary stools, traditional councils and district assemblies.

"By Article 267 (6) of 1992 Constitution of Ghana and section 8 (1) of the Act 481, 10 per cent of the revenue accruing from stool lands shall be paid to the office to cover administrative expenses.

"In compliance with the above, the Chief Conservator of Forests had been keeping the 10 per cent of timber royalties from off-reserve areas to meet administrative costs," she explained.

Mrs Fiadzigbey said as a result of negotiation between her and the Chief Conservator of Forests the "latter agreed to refund 2.5 per cent of administrative charges, which had accrued between 1995 to 1997" to her.

With the approval of the Minister, an amount of 386.7 million cedis, representing two per cent of accrued dministrative charges was released to her through the Controller and Accountant-General in October last year.

"That year, the office opened six regional offices in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Western, Eastern, Central and Greater Accra regions in compliance with the law establishing it."

Mrs Fiadzigbey said the Ministry of Finance was, however, unable to release enough funds to equip these offices hence approval was obtained from the Minister to utilise the money to provide logistical support for the six offices.