NDC Ministers paid 3.5 cedis billion ESB

The Weekend Statesman reports that NDC Ministers and appointees have been paid more than 3.5 billion cedis in end of service benefits (ESB)! The money was authorised for payment to the officials less than 48 hours before they were to leave office.

Beneficiaries of this last minute golden handshake were Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Presidential Staffers, District Chief Executives (DCEs) and "long serving and dedicated staff" of the Office of the President.

"This revelation, coming even before the dust on the loot of staff vehicles, in the guise of following 'convention', confirms fears of a systematic plunder of the state treasury for personal and NDC gain in the dying days of the rejected regime," according to the paper.

Available documents signed by former Finance Minister, Kwame Peprah and the Chief Director of the Ministry, Major (Rtd) M.S. Tara show how much the NDC officials were in a hurry to reward themselves, without apprising members of the in- coming administration, whose representative were working with the NDC on the transition team.