Jawula To Face Probe Over Unaccounted ?760m

Almost four years after leaving office, Alhaji M. N. D. Jawula faces a probe into his stewardship following discrepancies found in accounts of the FA under his chairmanship.

In consequence, the Congress of the GFA has referred a case involving the whereabouts of $83,157, (about ?760 million) unaccounted for in the accounts of the GFA to the Executive Council of the association for a thorough examination before the next Congress.

The Executive Council is expected to scrutinise the Auditor General's Report of May 16, 2003, which established that the amount had not been accounted for from September 2001 to March 2002 and advise Congress accordingly at its next meeting.

By a vote of 45-9, the GFA Extra-ordinary Congress last Tuesday re-opened the case of the missing amount earned from a friendly game against Greece in December 1999.

In his report of May 16, 2003, Mr Edward Dua-Agyemang, the Auditor General, said the "GFA accepted an invitation to play the Greek national team in December 1999 at a total cost of $83,157 to be borne by the Hellenic (Greek) Football Federation".

The amount, according to the Report, represented $63,157 in air tickets and $20,000 as appearance fee for Ghana.

It said in December 1999, the former GFA Chairman, who led the delegation to Greece, personally collected the $20,000 appearance fee. Subsequently, the GFA sent a fax on February 17, 2000 requesting for the balance of $63,157, but the Hellenic FA, through a letter number PROT: NR of February 20, 2000 asked for the GFA's bank account to enable it to remit the cost of air tickets the Ghanaian team bore for the international friendly.

The Report said "instead of providing the account number, the FA rather sent Alex Asante to Greece to collect the $63,157 in cash from the Hellenic FA two months after the game".

It said neither payment (the $20,000 nor $67,157) was captured in the books of accounts of the GFA. It, therefore, recommended that the former GFA Chairman be made to account for the amount.Alhaji Jawula could be immediately reached for his reaction as at press time.