The concerned assembly members of Ellembelle District in the Western region have accused the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Kwasi Bonzoh of misappropriation of the resources belonging to the assembly.
Ellembelle district assembly has 53 elected and appointed assembly members and out of this figure, 22 elected assembly members are calling on the Auditor General to investigate the DCE properly.
The concerned assembly members disclosed this at a press conference held at Nkroful over the weekend.
Addressing the press, the spokesperson for this group, Paul Kodwo Kwaw, the assembly member of Kikam electoral area expressed disappointment in the DCE for allegedly mismanaging the resources of the assembly.
"We, the concerned assembly members of the Ellembelle District Assembly, wish to express our deepest concern and disappointment over the management of Ellembelle District Assembly's finances, lack of transparency in the management of Ellembelle District Assembly Rubber Plantation, lack of transparency and accountability of the Ellembelle District Improvement Project (DRIP) machines, lack of leadership to protect our water bodies and farmlands from illegal mining in our district, abuse of office and disregard the Standing Orders and Local Government Act , 2016 (Act 936) which regulates how the Assembly is managed, and disregard of the financial regulations enacted by Parliament led by Kwasi Bonzoh the DCE of Ellembelle district assembly who is currently using logistics and revenue of Ellembelle for his personal political ambition under the guides of so-called community engagement where vehicles with his political posters follow him to the communities he has so far visited", he told the media.
"... we call upon the Presiding member to Institute a commission of enquiry immediately to investigate Kwasi Bonzoh Ellembelle DCE, Solomon Kweku Adjei, former Ellembelle DCD, Ellembelle district finance officer and the Ellembelle district budget analyst into the spending of revenue received from January 2024 to date without the approval from the General Assembly contrary to section 170 (1) of the Local Government Act, 2016 (Act 936), and the section 96 (1c) of the Public Financial Management Act 2016 (Act 921) which states... respectively which we evidently believe that Kwasi Bonzoh led management acted in bad faith", he stated.
He took the opportunity to warn the Ellembelle DCE not to send any falsify document to the Regional Co-ordinating Council without their endorsement.
"We are sending a strong warning to Kwasi Bonzoh and his management not to submit any falsify budget documents for the 2025 fiscal year to the Regional Co-ordinating Council without approval of the General Assembly in accordance with section 123 (2) of the Local Government Act, 2016 (939"
The angry assembly members stated that the Ellembelle DCE has offered the Ellembelle district assembly's rubber plantation to his Ellembelle NPP Constituency Chairman.
They also stated that the DCE lied before the Public Accounts Committee in Takoradi on May 15th 2024 over the management of the Ellembelle district rubber plantation.
They are therefore, calling on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to investigate the Ellembelle DCE.
They alleged that the Ellembelle DCE has misused an amount of GHC500,000 belonging to the assembly.
"We are calling on Kwasi Bonzoh, Ellembelle DCE to account to the people of Ellembelle through the General Assembly how an amount of GHC500,000 transferred by the District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator to Ellembelle district to cater for fuel and allowances of 15 personnel under the DRIP Program. According to the guidelines for the DRIP fund transferred, an amount of GHC32,000 to spend on fuel for 4 months, GHC140,000 as an allowance for 14 staff for 7 machines for 4 months period and GHC120,000 for DRIP Local Coordinator for 4 months with the remaining balance of GHC28,000", he revealed.
"We are also calling on the Ellembelle DCE to as a matter of urgency publish the names of the 14 staffs and the Local DRIP Coordinator to the people of Ellembelle and report same to the General Assembly
We are calling on Ellembelle DCE to stop all his personal vehicles designed with his posters to follow the DRIP machines whenever they are on official duty also as a matter of urgency remove all his political posters from the DRIP machines acquired by the share of the Ellembelle district assembly common fund", he demanded.
They questioned the Ellembelle DCE why he has allowed some nation wreckers to destroy the water bodies and farmlands in Ellembelle as the results of the ongoing galamsey activities in the area.
They took opportunity to threaten to pass vote of confidence in the Ellembelle DCE if the proper things were not done.
They stated that the Ellembelle DCE who is also the parliamentary candidate for NPP in Ellembelle does not deserve to be given any opportunity to become Ellembelle MP over recklessness.
They concluded by demanding that, "we are calling on the Ellembelle DCE to publish the names, owners and concession of all small scale mining companies with a prospecting amd mining licences in Ellembelle district, and also provide with evidence how much revenue the Assembly has received in terms of property rates, operation licence and mineral royalties".
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