Has Kumbuor Develop Cold Feet

Has Kumbuor Develop Cold Feet Over NPP Man’s theft

case ?

Only the developing of cold feet for reasons best

known to himself can explain why the Attorney-General & Minister for

Justice, Dr. Ben Kumbuo has failed to take to court a case that is easier to prosecute

than not to prosecute.

The case, titled ‘The Republic Vrs. E.A. Agarko and

Two Others’ has led to the loss of a colossal

sum of ¢8,000,000,000 (now GH ¢800,000) to the state and may further result in

the first accused, the NPP’s Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko worming his way into

Ghana’s parliament as MP for the Ayawaso Constituency.

The National Democrat’s investigations reveal that

all the suspects in the case are former and present staff of the Food and Drugs

Board (FDB) Headquarters, Accra. Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko is the former

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FDB. Genevieve Nelson is the former accountant

and Head of Accounts while Kofi Edem Kugbey is the Internal Auditor.

In the 2004 Budget Statement, funds were allocated

to the FDB to carry out some consumer activities. Between 2004 and 2005, the FDB

under the management of E.K Agyarko awarded contracts to fifteen (15) companies

to print educational materials. The companies are

1. Omega

Company Ltd Accra

2. Buck

Press Ltd, Accra

3. Momento

M. Enterprise, Accra

4. Excellent

Printing Press, Accra

5. Lord

B. Company Ltd, Accra

6. Dot

Com Printing Press, Accra

7. Dospong

Printing Press, Teshie-Nungua

8. Cynjosco

Ventures, Teshie-Nungua

9. Murex

B and M Ltd, Accra

10. Mega

Graphics, Accra

11. Imagine

Consult

12. Omega

A. Coy Ltd.

13. Print

Line

14. Quick Supplies

15. Logistics

Systems

16. Fastline

17. Sudan

Creation

18. Scientific

Ventures

19. Emmasco

Co. Ltd.

20. El-Fat

Printing Press

The printing of the materials amounted to eight

hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢800,000.00). The contracts were not made under

Tender Entity Committee as required by the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act

663). Investigations revealed that in 2004/2005 Audit Report, only three (3)

payment vouchers totaling GH¢53,939.70 were sighted for audit. Payment vouchers

for GH¢746,060.30 could not be produced for audit. Agyarko and his accomplices could

not provide any distribution list for verification as to whether the various

printed materials were actually procured and used in the interest of the FDB.

During the investigations, a total of nineteen (19)

payment vouchers, contract letters, internal memos, invoices and local purchase

orders totaling GH¢746,060.30 were retrieved from the FDB office. These

documents were not pre-audited by the Internal Audit Unit of the FDB before the

funds were disbursed. Way bills and Supplies Received Advices (SRAs) were

conspicuously missing in the documents mentioned above. Agyarko and his

accomplices dubiously raised the contract letters and payment vouchers to

embezzle the funds due without any corresponding way bills and Supply Received

Advices.

The payment vouchers and the local purchase orders

were prepared by suspect Genevieve Nelson the former accountant and head of

accounts and subsequently approved by E.K Agyarko without pre-audit by the

Internal Audit Unit. Investigation further disclosed that on one occasion E.K

Agyarko and Genevieve Nelson had to

literally compel the stores officer, Mary Nana-Amfoah Williams, to prepare some

fake Supply Received Advices (SRAs) as though they had taken delivery of

printed materials in order to cover up the deal.

Investigations at the Zonal Offices of the FDB in

Bolgatanga, Kumasi and Ho indicated that they each received some printing

materials from the FDB Headquarters during the period but there were no records

to show the worth of the materials received. At the Registrar-General’s

Department investigations showed that three of the companies that were alleged

to have been awarded the contract do not exist or are not registered as their

particulars could not be traced. They are

1. Dot

Com Printing Press

2. Lord

and B Company Ltd

3. Murex

B and M Ltd

Omega A.

Company Ltd, even though a registered company is into building construction and

general merchant activities. Scientific Ventures, another registered company is

into mineral water production, consultancy in mathematics, management service

and dealers in computers but not printing.

Sources at the A-G’s

department have told this paper that workers are puzzled as to why Dr. Kunbuor

has failed to take the case to court since he has confided in a few trusted

lieutenants that the case was a good one.

Stay

tuned for more+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++