Deputy GCB-Bank MD caught in age-cheating

As President Akufo-Addo sacks over 60-year Olds from government, the Deputy Managing Director (MD) of GCB-Bank in-charge of operations, Samuel Amankwah, has been caught in an age-cheating scandal, affording him extra years to remain at post, at a time he is supposed to have retired.

Documents available to The Herald, give the Deputy Managing Director, multiple dates of birth, raising concern as to the exact age of Mr Amankwah.

There are speculations that he has altered his date of birthday with the GCB-bank, hence going on retirement in May, next year.

The two documents namely, a biometric Ghanaian passport and Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) card, put his age at 63 and 64 years, respectively.

For instance, on his SSNIT card, Mr Amankwah’s date of birth is documented as March 14, 1955, while on his passport, which was issued on April 29, 2016, his birthday was captured as May 1, 1956.

Mr Amankwah, whose parents names are given as Grace Sarpong and Badu Nelson, was registered as a member of SSNIT on December 30, 1975. His SSNIT number is F015503140059.

Per the two documents, Mr Amankwah, should have gone on compulsory retirement over three years ago, but he is still at post.

The Deputy MD, according to Herald’s sources within the bank, reveal was instrumental in the sacking of some staff from the bank this year, using their inability to obtain less than grade “D” in their SSCE English and Maths, as the main reason for their dismissal.

This discovery comes at a time President Akufo-Addo, has booted the director of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), Rashid Seidu Inusah.

The 62-year-old, was given a contract of two years, but after serving just two months, he has been shown the exit. According to sources within government, there were powerful people within the government, who called for his removal using age and other things against him.

This paper’s sources, say while dismissing him, President Akufo-Addo, directed that Mr Inusah, be paid all his entitlements and the salary as he would have earned, if he had served the two-year contract.

In a related development, the President, has also relieved the Controller and Accountant-General, Eugene Ofosu-hene.

Mr Ofosu-hene, whose appointment was allegedly shrouded in inadequacies and irregularities as the Acting Controller and Accountant General on May 11, 2017, was sixty-seven (67) years old at the time of his engagement.

He was born on October 17, 1951, a date corroborated by the records at GIMPA, SSNIT and CAGD. This means he went home at age 68.

A letter from the presidency dated April 23, 2019 and signed by Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, has through the Finance Minister, directed Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem to take over with effect from April 30, 2019, while efforts are underway to regularize his appointment.

There were reports about how tension enveloped the CAGD over the continuous stay in office of the Mr Ofosu-hene as head.

The retirement age of a public officer is sixty (60) years as stipulated clearly in section 199 (1) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

The Ghana civil service law 1993, PNDCL 327, also states the retirement age of civil servants as sixty (60) years.

In spite of these provisions above, the public service, makes provision for limited engagement or contract appointment as clearly stated in the Ghana civil service document titled: ‘Guidelines on Appointments, Upgrading, Conversion and Promotions (AUCP) in the Civil Service’ 2015, section 9.0 (sub section 9.1-9.8).

Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem, the Chartered Management Accountant was the Deputy Controller and Accountant General in charge of Payroll.

His appointment is contained in a letter from the presidency under the signature of secretary to the president, Nana Asante Bediatuo, to the Minister of Finance, directing him to “take the necessary steps to regularize the said appointment”.

It is, however, unclear if the outgoing Controller and Accountant-General, Mr. Ofosuhene, would be reassigned by the president.

But it is recalled that he was among some eight government appointees, who were in January rumoured to have been directed by the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, to proceed on compulsory retirement, because of their ages.

The said government appointees were; Mr. Eugene Ofosuhene, 67 years, 68-year-old Kofi Juma of the Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation (GIHOC), 67-year-old, Isaac Osei of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), 67-year-old Kwame Owusu of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) and 65-year-old Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie of the Forestry Commission.

The rest were 65-year-old Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare of the Ghana Health Service, 64-year-old Samuel Annor of the National Health Insurance Authority and 65-year-old K. K Sarpong of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

Even though, the government denied the rumours, it turned out some of them, including Kwame Owusu and Samuel Annor of the National Health Insurance Authority, have proceeded on retirement.