Ex-DCE's ?11m Claim Rejected

Miss Grace Awuah, former District Chief Executive (DCE) of Amansie East in the Ashanti Region is in a fix.

She is desperately claming ?11 million from the District Assembly as expenses she reportedly incurred during a day's visit to Bekwai by then Vice-President John Evans Atta Mills.

The ex-DCE is complaining about the refusal of the District Co-ordinating Director to pay the money and has accused the director of non-co-operation.

Mr. Sampong, the Coordinating Director, explained that he has every reason to believe that the claims are not genuine. According to him, receipts and other documents covering the claims are suspicious, hence his refusal to honour it.

Sampong told the Chronicle in a telephone interview that he would not make the mistake and pay those claims because he could "be hanged for it."

He wondered how the ex-DCE spent a total of ?11 million on the Vice- President, who spent only three hours at Bekwai during his tour of the region in the run-up to the 2000 elections.

The District Assembly did not provide meals for the Vice-President, "not even a glass of water," Sampong wondered. "The problem with Grace is that she never expected to be out of office so soon", the Coordinating Director observed.