Ministry of Finance Accused of Bias

MR. KWADWO Agyenim Boateng, Managing Director of the Kumasi Abattoir Company Limited (KACL), in explaining why the company's administrative manager, Mr. Maxwell Awuku, was dismissed, has accused the Ministy of finance of bias.

"They are consciously biased for prejudging the case by prescribing terms of reference for fresh investigations into the financial operations of the company. This is unfair to me," Agyenim Boateng explained in reaction to a previous Chronicle publication which harped on the request by the Auditor General to reinstate a whistleblower to help in investigations.

He said the stand of the MoF was antagonistic to management and that it was not in their purview to direct management as to what to do.

According to him, an audit report should find out the strengths and weaknesses of the financial standing of the company and to suggest directions.

Agyenim Boateng questioned why it took MoF 10 months to react to the SFO report when it had not even issued an executive summary to the SFO findings.

He also questioned why the MoF as a supervising Ministry over the SFO had not sanctioned SFO officials who conducted the investigations and, therefore, submitted a doubtful report.

Agyenim Boateng accused the MoF of wrongful interference in the administration of the company by playing the role of a player, referee and a match commissioner at the same time and to the extent of showing partisanship.

He defended that he had not put any impediments in the way of the A-G by protesting against the fresh probe ordered by the A-G.

" I think I have the legitimate right to do so (protest) for the partisan stance," he said.

The MD explained the circumstance under which Awuku was hired and sacked by the Board.

According to him, Awuku was sacked for gross insubordination and inefficiency in negation to his own pledge to the Board.

Awuku is said to have even castigated the Board once at a press conference.

He said Awuku was peeved by changes in the administrative set-up, hence the plan with officials of the MoF to find fault with him (MD).

It was disclosed that following frightening anomalies in audit reports about unapproved disbursement of funds, Awuku was asked to refund various sums of monies.

Agyenim Boateng also explained that it was not in his power to reinstate Awuku as directed by the A-G.

According to him, during the six month period (May-October 2001) that the SFO carried out its investigations, the company could not prepare its accounts because operations came to a stand still.

KACL also lost an investor who had wanted to construct a $1 million meat market.

According to Agyenim Boateng, Awuku currently owes the company ?12.5 million, following a ?16 million car loan, among others, he took from KACL.

"He has not bothered to negotiate settlement in spite of repeated demand notices," Agyenim Boateng claimed.