$1.2m GSA scandal: EOCO probes ex-boss

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has begun investigations into the $1.2million alleged corruption scandal against former Executive Director of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Dr George Crentsil.

Dr Crentsil is alleged to have taken a bribe of $1.2million from Lemet Construction Company, the firm awarded a contract to build a new training school and hostel facility for the institution.

The allegation first popped up in May 2017.

Following the report, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Kofi Amponsah Bediako, told Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Tuesday, 23 May that he had did not blow the whistle on the matter although there were social media comments citing him as having snitched on his ex-boss.

According to him, the revelation of this matter had opened a can of worms on other alleged dubious deals that were undertaken by Dr Crentsil.

He said: “The structures at the Ghana Standards Authority are in such a way that I as the PRO wouldn’t be in the know of this act by the CEO, and, so, I wasn’t aware of that incident until it was revealed by someone. Until a thief is caught, you wouldn’t know that he is a thief.

“Let me place it on record that I wasn’t the one who blew this matter because I didn’t know about it. There are more issues that that this matter has brought up and I am sure in the coming days we will now be aware.

“Some of us have long suspected that some dubious deals were being undertaken but we did have any concrete evidence or basis to confirm our suspicions so we all kept quiet.”

He added: “I will want the media to question Dr Crentsil on this matter because he is the best person to answer questions on this.”