Surprisingly, some vital information has surfaced recently involving the former Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Major-General Francis Mahama [Rtd], that he has allegedly made financial claims for three years totaling more than $20,000 [over190 million cedis] using a Ghanaian immigrant?s name in Moscow. The financial allegation came out barely few months after he was fired from his ambassadorial post by Hon. President John Agyekum Kufuor and was replaced by Air Vice Marshall Edward Mantey. The allegation was made against him by Mr Mathew Kofi Osei who said he had agreed to the Ambassador?s proposal to use his name on the Embassy?s pay voucher.

Speaking about the allegation, the Financial Attache at the Embassy, Mr Eric O. Larnyor, angrily shrugged off the reporter?s questions and maintained that Mr Osei?s name never appeared on his payroll and such financial claims were not possible without authorization from appropriate Ministry. ?What do you concretely want? We really don?t comment on such financial allegations and we don?t have anything to hide,? Mr Larnyor said by phone.

But his tongue-wagging Russian Secretary readily admitted that Mr Osei?s name was used regularly in preparing pay vouchers. The Secretary handles all the routine administrative work since Mr Larnyor is computer illiterate and has no typing skills to deal with confidential matters relating all payment operations. ?We are proud of the routine work we are doing here. We do all the typing and handle files and we know in-and-out of what goes on here,? the Russian Secretary told this reporter. She quickly confirmed that she had, on several occasions, prepared monthly pay vouchers with such a name [Mathew Kofi Osei] that were ordered by Mr Larnyor. ?All these are on record and there?s no basis to deny them. Besides, we can depend on series of anecdotal evidence to prove this case,? the Russian Secretary added.

Mr Osei said that this news report on the financial misappropriation should be published to make a pitch for a thorough [re]investigation into Embassy?s financial operations.

?The ambassador cheated me in the deal! It?s clearly an intellectual dishonesty directed at achieving his own selfish financial goals,? he remarked with a frowned face. He accused the Ambassador of not keeping to the ?promised financial agreement? and he should not be surprised at these revelations for public enlightenment about his highly reputed personality who had deceived an ordinary Ghanaian immigrant while serving as President Kufuor's diplomatic representative to the Russian Federation and other 13 ex-Soviet republics.

Mr Osei said he was however shocked by Mr Larnyor?s outright reaction, denying about the deal in which the Ambassador fraudulently siphoned money from the state budget and that he was prepared to give testimony about payments that were made in his name for His Excellency Major-General Francis Mahama. ?I was really cheated in the deal. Imagine the total amount paid to the Ambassador over these years using my name,? he said.

Unofficial sources admittedly said in November last year a two-man auditing team [Mr E. Nyampong and Mr Attah Baffour] was in Moscow to audit the mission?s accounts but doubted whether they have detected any financial malpractice of the sort.

?Even if they did notice that something was wrong with the accounts, they would not have revealed it, since the Ambassador helped in lodging and feeding them in his official residence throughout their stay in Moscow,? the sources said. ?Maybe, they might have also benefited somehow from the financial booty. But, whatever maybe the case, Mr Nyampong and Mr Baffour are now in Accra and they can send their financial report to the appropriate authorities.?

Witnesses who were present at the farewell party held in honour of the auditing team also said Major-General Mahama [Rtd] repeatedly and jokingly raised up both hands and declared himself not guilty of any financial malpractice and thanked the auditing team for their ?mutual understanding and cooperation? with the mission. They were presented with shirts as gifts in return by the Embassy officials.

?This is not a million dollar deal yet, but under this circumstance, the man should not be trusted. But it was really a shame for an ambassador to stoop so low to beg an immigrant to sign for money which he pocketed under the supervision of the mission?s accountant.? a junior staff at the mission told this reporter. He said the two auditors might have closed their eyes on some of the worse financial irregularities in exchange for kickbacks from Ambassador Major-General Mahama. The officer further remarked that Major-Gen Mahama could not find any business niche for his country neither for himself, at least while serving in Russia.

Ambassador Major-General Mahama had left Moscow in December back to Accra and consequently was not available for comments. But Embassy?s local staff in a related development said Major-General Mahama [Rtd] resold the First Class British Airways return ticket purchased for him by the Ghana Government and instead flew back to Accra using an Economy Class [a comparatively low-priced ticket] on Arab Emirates Airlines. Apparently trying to conceal the flight information, he utterly declined to be seen off officially by the Ghanaian diplomatic team to the airport ? a strange decision which was not in conformity with diplomatic protocol practiced all over the world. The Nigerian driver, an Embassy employee he could not have avoided, was the only person who respectfully accompanied him.