Methodist pastor ‘hijacks’ PTA funds

Tension engulfed the St. John Methodist School Complex at Tema Manhean last Thursday, November 1, 2012 when parents and teachers of the school were denied access to the premises of the school to go for their meeting on the orders of the local Area Pastor of the Methodist Church; Very Rev. John G. Bortey.

The Parents and teachers’ Association of the school has been denied access to the complex to hold meetings for the past two terms by the area pastor.

According to the PTA Chairman of the School; Mr. Daniel Arku-Nelson, the Very Rev. John G. Bortery has been denying them the opportunity to meet because he is afraid he will be exposed on some of his alleged fraudulent dealings with regard to the funds of the PTA.

Mr. Arku-Nelson has told the Daily Searchlight that the Rev. Minister has for far too long taken advantage of the PTA funds and that because he, the chairman was opposed to that idea, Very Rev. John G. Bortey has since been against him as an individual and the PTA as a group. He hinted that Rev. J.G. Bortey was the sole contractor and executor of PTA projects in the school until he was elected chairman.

Copies of letters that exchanged hands between the Accounts Officer of the school and Very Rev. John G. Bortey showed clearly that he is up to milking the school. In one of the letters dated March 4, 2010, the secretary to the Board of Governors of the school; Mr. Desmond Moses Darpoh told the Bursar of the school to pay some amounts of money to9 him and Very Rev. John G. Bortey in the form of allowances as agreed by the board. The former was to be given GH¢150.00 and the latter; GH¢200.00 every month beginning October 2009. The bursar; Darlene Appiah was directed to effect the payments regularly alongside the staff salaries every month.

In her own wisdom, Madam Appiah refused to carry out some of the payments to Mr. Darpoh because she deemed it as causing financial loss to the school. Very Rev. John G. Bortey quickly wrote a query letter to bursar on December 15, 2010 telling her to respect his orders as the local manager of the school.