?As Millions Of Cedis In Fines End Up In Private Pockets

Weekend Crusading GUIDE can authoritatively say that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly is now a hot-bed for corruption as monies levied for towing cars parked at unauthorized places end up in private pockets instead of KMA Accounts.

This was detected on Wednesday, 1st June 2005 when an Opel Kadet with registration number GW 7574 R was towed from the front of HELLO FM and sent to the premises of KMA.

When the owner of the car followed up to KMA, he was asked to pay an amount of ?200,000.00 before it could be released to him, but when the owner pleaded with one Auntie Maggie that he be allowed to make an undertaking since he was known at KMA so that he goes back to his office for the money, he was refused.

This infuriated the owner of the car so he rang the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. S.K. Boafo, who advised that he pay and collect his car and then come to him.

The cat came out of the bag when the man went and showed the receipt AY No. 1125789 with the Metro Finance Officer?s stamp on it to the Minister who after inspecting it said, the Assembly did not have to issue such a receipt to the man because towing of vehicles has been given out on contract which is supposed to start towing on the very day of the man?s arrest.

Minister Boafo even added that the ?200,000 charged the man is also a fake because the charge was ?300,000.

The Minister therefore rang the presiding member of the Assembly, Nana Kofi Senya, to see to the release of the man?s ?200,000 to him.

It was when we went back to KMA to meet Nana Senya that this reporter was told that ever since this towing system operation started, a woman called Auntie Maggie was brought to KMA by the then Mayor of Kumasi to see to the collection of 70% of all fines from trucks and cars towed to the Assembly while only 30% goes to the KMA account. This paper was again told that after the day?s work, KMA then pays the taskforce which does the towing a whopping ?1.4 million a day thus making the Assembly lose millions of cedis through this dubious contract daily.

When Nana Kofi Senya, the presiding member, was asked whether all these allegations were true or not he said they were true, but at the time that they were fighting for the truth to come out people thought they did not want the development of Kumasi.

?This dubious contract shows that billions of cedis has gone to private pockets since the towing system was introduced by KMA?, an angry worker of KMA indicated. Meanwhile the 24 hour Towing Service, a private towing company which is based in Accra, has signed a 5-year contract with KMA to tow vehicles parked at unauthorized places in the metropolis.

It started operations on Wednesday 1st June, 2005.

In line with our style of writing we reproduce the false receipt issued to the man whose Opel Kadet was towed on 1st June 2005.