Peki-Tsame (V/R), July 20, GNA - A Reverend Minister of the Lord's Pentecostal Church at Peki Blengo, is said to have threatened to send the Medical Officer in-charge of the Peki Government Hospital to the Nogokpo Shrine if he pursued an alleged fraud case against his brother, Mr James Addom.
Ghana News Agency (GNA) investigations on Wednesday at the Hospital, which was collaborated by officers of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Peki Divisional Police Headquarters, revealed that initially Addom, a former Account Clerk, was accused of embezzling over 22.7 million cedis between February and March this year.
They said Addom admitted the offence and refunded 10,500,000 with the promise to pay the rest in a short time and pleaded with the management to deal leniently with him in an undertaking shown to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the hospital.
Auditors from the Volta Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service still at post to conduct thorough examination of his records had so far uncovered about 109.3 million cedis embezzled between January 2005 and April 2006 and the crime was reported to the Peki Divisional Police headquarters.
Officials at the Hospital, GNA spoke to said on hearing the action of the authorities, the Reverend Minister angrily stormed the health facility to warn the Medical Officer either to stop pursuing the action against his brother or he would consult the Nogokpe shrine to deal with the Doctor.
A CID at the Police Station confirmed the threat but denied that the Police had been influenced by the Reverend Minister hence their inability to arrest the suspect.
He stated that in spite of the threat, "the Police is going on with investigations and the culprits would be put before court soon". The Medical Officer only said, "The Lord is my shield and buckler. I am not afraid of what man would do to me. In the first place I have not offended anyone but just doing my work as the medical officer in-charge," when GNA questioned him for his reaction to the threat
The GNA on March 14 this year reported that the Police had initiated investigations into allegations of financial malpractices against another former Accountant of the Hospital, Elias Akuamoah.
The former Accountant was said to have tampered with and mutilated financial documents before handing over to a new person.
Later, staff of the Hospital and some residents of the town, embarked on a demonstration against the spate of anonymous letter writing and the issuing of death threats against some management personnel of the health facility.
Ms Georgina Adzasah and Mr Daniel Adigbo, Chairperson and Secretary, respectively, of the Staff Welfare Association of the hospital, who led the placard-bearing demonstrators, said the authorities had reported receiving threatening letters.
Some of the placards of the protesters who wore white and red attire and sang patriotic songs amidst drumming and dancing along the principal street of the town read, "Enough is Enough," "Anonymous Letter Writers are Cowards," "Say No to Anonymous Letter Writers," "Rise Up Against Evil," "Expose wicked People" and "Anonymous Letter Writers have no Room to Operate at Peki".
Ms Adzasah told GNA that although the letters containing the threats did not have names they suspected former staff of the Hospital to be behind them.
Mr Daniel Adigbo appealed to the Inspector General of Police, to institute investigations to unmask the faces of those behind the letters.
He also appealed to the Paramount Chief of the Peki Traditional Area as well as the District Assembly for support to ensure that "the right environment is created for the health personnel to work selflessly". 20 July 06
