Impeachment case filed against UG SRC President over ‘missing funds’

Not long after the SRC president of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) was suspended for misappropriating students’ funds, the University of Ghana SRC president, Isaac Agyemang, is facing an impeachment trial fronted by a group of students.

The group, which comprises of John Baffour Senkyire Acquah, Victoria Antwi, Godsway Obro-Boateng, and led by counsel, Daniel Nkrumah, in a statement addressed to the chairman of the SRC Judicial Board, called for a hearing at the Board, citing chapter five of the SRC constitution as grounds upon which they are proceeding with an impeachment suit against the SRC president.

hapter five of the SRC constitution outlines grounds for the removal of an officer of the SRC from office.

Article 23 specifically states that such a person may be removed if he he/she is found;

“To have acted in violation of the oath of office set out in the first or second schedule to, or in violation of this constitution; or To have conducted himself in a manner; Which brings or is likely to bring the high office of President or Vice president or Secretary or Treasurer, into disrepute, ridicule or contempt; or Prejudicial or inimical to the interests of students; or To be incapable of performing the functions of his office by reason of infirmity of body or mind or To have embezzled funds or recklessly handled the finances of the SRC or To be inefficient or negligent in the discharge of his/her duties” Speaking to UniversNews, counsel for the petitioners, Daniel Nkrumah, accused the SRC President of breaching more than five obligatory constitutional functions which he categorized into two groups namely; “specific constitutional duties of his office that he failed to perform” and “financial misapplication.”

“The constitutional irregularities that the president has done are categorized in two folds; (1) specific constitutional duties of his office that he failed to perform and (2) financial misapplication from his office,” he said

Daniel Nkrumah further explained that having neglected those obligatory responsibilities, the president had breached the oath of office that he swore before assuming office and hence exposed himself to undergo impeachment.

“In law, we have what is regarded as obligatory function. If you read the provision, and you look at the things that he was supposed to perform, it is found that there are more than five obligatory functions that he failed to perform and the performance of those duties go to the core of his office and is also in breach of the oath of his office that he swore. And so looking at what has happened, we are saying that it amounts to grounds for impeachment,” he added.

He added that a meeting had been scheduled on Saturday, February 29 at the Judicial Board to hear the matter.

“On Saturday 6pm we will go to the judicial board for all the parties to make their submissions” He concluded.

Background

The SRC president, at a General Assembly sitting at the beginning of the semester presented an Income Statement which was characterized by some irregularities and for which reason, the GA asked him to account for some monies spent.

The budget statement of the SRC indicated that the house had approved an amount of GH¢ 365,452 from the SRC dues to cater for expenses of the first semester of the 2019/2020 academic year.

However, the Income Statement presented to the General Assembly on 7th February showed that GH¢ 431,590 had been withdrawn from the dues indicating an excess of GH¢ 66,138 spent.