DCE For Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma Is Corrupt -- Assemblyman

-- He makes allegations, given examples, provides the evidence
-- Yet no investigation
-- Yet Kufuor re-nominates him for second term.

The routine corruption of the NPP Government, starting from the top with President Kufuor himself and the "Hotel Kufuor" scandal, has now reached the turn of the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma (BAK) in the Ashanti Region, Mr. Bright Addai Mununkum.

In a stunning indictment of the DCE, the Assemblyman for the Feyiase Electoral Area in Feyiase-Akoyem, Hon. Peter Yeboah, on behalf of a section of the Assemblymen, has listed a total of seven (7) allegations with seventeen (17) examples and seven (7) Appendices, which he is praying should be investigated.

His petition, originally addressed to President John Agyekum Kufuor and copied to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, CHRAJ, Ashanti Region CHRAJ and Media Houses, was on 28th June 2005, readdressed to the Parliamentary Minority Leader when he realized that not only have the allegations not been investigated, but also that President Kufuor in the face of all these damaging allegations had gone ahead and re-nominated Mr. Addai Mununkum for approval by the District Assembly as the DCE for a second term.

The allegations, examples and Appendices are as follows:

Allegations

1. In the later part of 2003 the DCE unilaterally awarded a contract for the reshaping of the Abono-Pipie Feeder road without recourse to the District Tender Board. He and his District Coordinating Director Constitute the District Tender Board. The cost of the project was ? 280 million cedis. The project was an unbudgeted project. But the actual amount given to the contractor was less than Eighty Million Cedis the rest was taken by the District Chief Executive.

2. The Bitumen Surfacing of a stretch of Road at the Assembly?s Hotel at Kuntanase was also awarded on contract without recourse to the Tender Board at a colossal amount of about ?43 million cedis. The project was also not budgeted for.

3. The Bitumen Surfacing of a stretch of Road to the DCE?s residence cost the Assembly about ?73 million cedis without recourse to the Tender Board.

4. Recently a stretch of Road at the Assembly?s Staff Quarters was also tarred at the cost of about ?76 million without the knowledge of the Tender Board.

5. The D.C.E. Pressurized Management of the Assembly to award a contract for the clearing and gravelling of Trabuom market at the cost of ?127 million without the knowledge of the Tender Board and also not budgeted for. The Contractor was Mr. Bamfoh. The works superintendent of the Assembly and the District Engineer kicked against the award of these contracts but the D.C.E. will not agree because of "his percentages" in the contract.

6. In the year 2003 the Assembly received an amount of ?5.4 billion cedis as its share of the District Assemblies Common Fund. The D.C.E. mentioned that he had to use about ?50 million at the office of the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund before that amount was allocated to the Assembly.

The immediate Past Hon. Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe Constituency Hon. Adu Gyamfi Poku challenged this "Corrupt Practice". He said as a Member of Parliament he knew of the formula for allocating Monies to District Assemblies. He said it was untrue that the District Chief Executive sent such an amount to the administrator.

Investigations revealed that he pocketed the amount and did not send anything to the Administrator. This fact was established when the Administrator visited the District on Monday 7th February 2005.

The D.C.E has been saying that the 2004 allocation reduced to about ?4.9 billion due to the fact that he did not send money to the office of the Administrator. Investigation has revealed that he does not even know where the office of the Administrator is located in Accra. Whatever Money he takes "he Pockets"

7. There is no money that the District Chief Executive will release to any department in the District without him taking a fraction of the amount. This is a true fact and is a source of worry to the Heads of Departments.

EXAMPLE

1. ?15 million was released on Paper to N.C.C.E. to support their Office Project but ?10 million was released. Where is the remaining ?5 million?

2. ?24 million released to Ministry of Agriculture for 2004 Farmers Day Celebration. But ?14 million was released to the District Director of MOFA: where is the remaining ?10 million?

3. Polio immunization-same practice.

4. Valuation of Assembly Properties-same practice

5. It is also alleged that the District Chief Executive took an amount of ?100 million from a Chinese Company working on Water Project in the District. The Contract Sum is about ?4.6 billion cedis.

6. During the 2004 Christmas ?51 million was taken from the Common Fund. The D.C.E. alone took ?30 million cedis under the pretext of sharing it to some big men in Accra and Kumasi, No body could talk.

7. President?s visit to the District during the last quarter of 2004 ?86 million was taken from the District Assembly Common Fund, ?86 million for canopies and chairs? D.C.E. squanders all.

8. The D.C.E. took an amount of ?10 million during the Christmas to give it to the Divisional Commander of Asokwa police for 11 days security Patrols in the District. Find out if he gave the money to the Police. Nothing went "All inside his pocket".

9. On 1st January, 2005 the D.C.E. arranged with Lakayana Enterprise in Kumasi and organized a "meet me there" programme at the Lake Bosomtwe using the name of the New Patriotic Party. According to reliable information the programme yielded about ?25. Nothing came to the Assembly nor the Regional or Constituency Party Office. He has taken his Portion of the Booty of the detriment of the Assembly.

10. The D.C.E. was a beneficiary of the protocol allocation of the Poverty Alleviation Fund given to some Assembly members. He used the name of his family members to take the Loans.

11. The D.C.E. took an amount of about ?40 million to travel to Expo 2004 at Atlanta U.S. without informing the Assembly. He was refused VISA for the trip. An amount of ?29 million was refunded to the Assembly. Where is that money? He blamed the Regional Minister for not featuring him. Because of this he was totally against the re-appointment of the Regional Minister. What an evil against his boss.

12. The D.C.E. owns a brick factory at Aboaso in the Bekwai District. All contractors working on HIPC Projects were to buy bricks from his factory. This was a condition for awarding contract to them. The brick he produces are of inferior quality and has been complained by the contractors. This has led to the delay in the completion of some of the HIPC Projects especially the one at Afrancho Odumase.

13. Huge monies are taken from the D.A.C.F. to purchase items for community initiated projects. But nothing is bought.

14. He made a remark to some party people that he is worth billions of cedis and he does not care if he is re-nominated or not.

15. He has threatened to transfer all workers from District Coordinating Director to Messenger when he is re-appointed and to deal with the Omanhene of Kuntanase Traditional Area for masterminding his removal from office.

16. On 15th February, 2005 he remarked at a place that the constituency secretary of NPP is also masterminding his removal from office.

17. The D.C.E took an amount of ?6.7 million cedis for the New Year school for 2004 in Accra for 3 days- ?6.7 million very serious.

APPENDIX

The following are the facts, figures and evidence for the various allegations of corruption perpetrated by the D.C.E.

1. With the Obo-Pipie feeder road, the contractor was one Philip Kyei, an engineer of USSYA, construction firm that is undertaking the reconstruction of Ejisu-Bekwai stretch of road. (It is believed the materials used for these questionable contracts were from the Ejisu-Bekwai project) This engineer self-styles himself as a contractor to help the DCE do these dubious contracts.

2. The items 2, 3, and 4 were all fraudulently done by the same Philip Kyei without taking recourse to the tender board.

3. Items 5, as indicated, were awarded to the DCE?s friend Mr. Banfoh, The District engineers estimated the contract to cost only ?70 million cedis. Instead the DCE fraudulently and unilaterally awarded it for ?127 million cedis to his friend. The District engineers are Charles Fummey and Mark Takyi.

4. The ?50 million purported to have been given to the Administrator of the common fund-Magnus Nicole, was clandestinely taken to purchase items for the communities Proper auditing of the store section of the Assembly will reveal that some of items purported to have been bought to the communities do not reach there. E.g. Beposo and Jachie where it is alleged the auditors who visited the Assembly last December there about contacted the chief and the seriously check the monies supposed to have been given for the District NCCE building project and one for the District Hospital. One Reuben at the District Hospital and the letter written to show appreciation to the District Assembly can be of help.

5. With the Chinese company?s issue which is alleged that the DCE took a bribe of ?100 million before signing this part of the contract, Nana Kwaku Duah Saben Akrofrom Chief was the one the Chinese told. He has even exposed him on KESS Radio one of the FM Stations in Kumasi. He is ready to bear witness at any time.

6. Consultancy fee of 7% of the value of contacts are supposed to be paid to consultants but Bosomtwe Atwima Kwanwoma District Assembly pays 8%. The 1% goes to the DCE. The records are there to investigate.

7. Above all, none of these contracts passed through tender process: who were members present? What minutes were taken? Who were the tenderers and where and what are their companies? He masterminds coining of names for letterheads to represent non-existing companies in some cases, to give way for the malfeasance.

All these are true. They need to be investigated to stem the tide to avert unforeseen repercussions.