The Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, (CHRAJ) has ordered Kwame Addo, a businessman and former member of SSNIT board to refund an amount of ?696 million to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) being excess payment he received on a land transaction deal.
He also to be banned from holding any office in any public company or private company in which government has shares.
CHRAJ gave the directive in its report after investigations into allegations of corruption, conflict of interest and abuse of office leveled against SSNIT and its former Director General, Charles Asare.
Multimedia Limited operators of Joy FM, filed the eleven charges, Kwame Addo and his friend, Isaac Nana Wiredu of River Estates Limited were found guilty of getting SSNIT pay the amount which is more than they were entitled to in the sale of 570 acres of land valued at ?1.6 billion.
CHRAJ also found the then Management headed by Mr. Henry Dei and the Board guilty of gloss negligent in not detecting the overpayment.
According to the report, “even though there is no direct evidence that they (Addo and Wiredu) met and discussed the case with nay other member of SSNIT management or any member of them, it is more probable than not that Mr. Addo discussed the case with other members of management especially, the then Director-General, Mr. Henry Dei.”
CHRAJ dismissed an allegation that a Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle SSNIT bought from Regimanuel Gray (RG) was a gift from RG to the Director-General of SSNIT’s guarantee of a loan taken by RG from the Agricultural Development Bank.
It said there was no evidence to support that, since available evidence showed that the vehicle was registered in the name of SSNIT and not Mr. Asare.
“Equally, there is no evidence to support the allegation that Mr. Asare also received a property from RG,” the report said.
It however noted that the price of the vehicle was higher than the prevailing market price of a similar vehicle and exceeded the budgetary allocation for it by over ?50 million. The procurement of the vehicle from private Real Estate Company was improper and recommended the removal of Mr. Asare from office.
On the Singer House, the report concluded among others that Mr. Addo used Mr. John Mawuli Ababio as a front man in the purchase of the building from the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC) at a cost of ?1.5 billion and its subsequent resale to SSNIT for ?2.6 billion and charged the former Director-General and Emmanuel Asiedu Gyamfi, Head of SSNIT’s Investment Department of gravely misconducting themselves in committing ?2.6 billion of SSNIT money to the purchase of the house. They are also to be investigated by the police.
The report however said even though the Commission’s findings had impugned the whole transaction, it would not be in the public interest for Mr. Ababio to be permitted to rescind the contract by returning an amount of ?1.6 billion to SSNIT and keep the property or attempt to resell it to another buyer.
“The Commission has credible evidence that the property has substantially appreciated in value and to allow Mr. Ababio to rescind from the contract and resell the property would tantamount to allowing him profit from his own wrong,” the report said.
On Charles Asare’s personal relationship with Mr. Eddie Annan and Masai, the Commission found out that the weight of the evidence did not support the allegations that Masai benefited from the relationship in the purchase of vehicles and computers.
“The Commission is not persuaded from the balance of the evidence that a conflict of interest arose in the dealings between Mr. Asare and Annan’s Masai in respect of the procurement of vehicles by SSNIT, Masai’s co-management of Accra Abattoir and SSNIT’s purchase of computers,” the report said.
The Commission found out that SSNIT failed to act with appropriate transparency in its decision to contract S.R Telecom in the VSATCO project and that the contract awarding process amounted to conflict of interest.
CHRAJ also dismissed allegations that Mr. Asare had an interest in the Best Block Factory, a joint venture between Regimanuel Gray and SSNIT.
The Commission has however directed SSNIT and Mr. Asare to pay ?10 million each for legal expenses and other legal incidental expenses toward prosecuting the complaint.
