�Iron Lady� Hijacks Govt Cash... Prints Own Receipts,..

The workers of the Department of Parks and Gardens in Ho have accused their Regional Director, Janet Oboni, of engaging in corrupt practices contrary to the lay down procedure. According to the workers, Mrs. Janet Oboni had printed her own receipts, which she issued for official work done by the Department. When contacted, the Regional Director admitted having knowledge of a private receipt issued for official work done, up to the tune of GH� 931.00 for one institution in Ho, but denied that she (the Regional Director) was responsible for the negative practice. The workers, however, told The Chronicle that their regional director knew about the deal and that some of their colleagues she suspected to be the brain behind the report made to the head office about her conduct have been transferred to the districts. When contacted, the National Director of Parks and Gardens, Mr. Adam Wumbei Nantogma confirmed the story and explained that the workers drew his attention to the Regional Director�s corrupt practices and he (National Director) asked the workers to get evidence of the illegal receipts issued by the Regional Director over the past two years. Mr. Nantogma said in order to ascertain the authenticity of the allegation raised by the workers, he (National Director of Parks and Gardens) visited Ho and at the time of his visit, the workers informed him that they just finished working at the OLA Senior High School. He, therefore, requested the accountant at the Ola SHS to show him the receipt, and when it was brought, he discovered that it was not an official one. Based on this, he said auditors were brought in to audit the regional director and the report they submitted to him indicated that Janet Oboni had printed her own receipt, which she issued out to clients of the department. This, to him, meant that money that should have gone into government coffers but rather went into private pockets. Mr. Nantogma told The Chronicle that as a control measure, the Regional Director and her Accountant were transferred. He regretted that whereas the accountant went on the transfer, Janet Oboni refused to go to her new station and her conduct was supported by the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC). According to Nantogma, the VRCC told him that Parks and Gardens come directly under them and that they do not accept the transfer. According to him, he has challenged the conduct of the VRCC and that aspect of the case is before the Ministry of Local Government and the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO). Nantogma also revealed that Janet Obroni, who has been transferred, still had the gut to write a letter to the Ho branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank, directing them not to pay some of the workers whose transfer to districts had been reversed by him. Meanwhile, investigations conducted by the Volta Regional Office of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) into allegation levelled against the Regional Director has revealed that Mrs. Oboni actually did issue other receipts against her department�s own regulation, which prescribes the use of only official receipts. The CHRAJ report indicate that the Regional Director of Parks and Gardens was involved in fraudulent acts and that the conduct of Mrs. Oboni should be reported to the police for the necessary action and the workers who reported the matter should not be vilified, but rather be encouraged to be more patriotic.