Corruption Scandal Hits Koforidua Polytechnic

A CORRUPTION scandal has hit the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Koforidua Polytechnic in the Eastern region. This has sparked student agitation, with calls for the head of the SRC president and his treasurer, who are involved in the corruption scandal. The SRC President, Herman Sintim-Aboagye, and his treasurer, Sai Torgbor, were said to have misappropriated over GH�10,000 of students monies placed in their care as student leaders. Some concerned students who had links within the SRC and were monitoring the affairs of the body blew the lid off the scandal since a similar thing had happened last year, involving the immediate past treasurer who was said to have also squandered GH�35,000. The SRC president and his executives have in their care over GH�150,000, being SRC fees paid by students. Each student pays GH�45 as SRC levy. The SRC president, who will be writing his last paper in purchasing and supply tomorrow, is said to have already secured a visa and travelling documents, suggesting that he can quickly travel outside the country after his last paper to escape any blame. The SRC president was said to have given a shady contract to his brother, who fronted for a company to construct an SRC restaurant and business centre on the campus, a major project by the 2010/2011 SRC for the over 5,000 students of the polytechnic. According to reports by auditors, the project, which the president awarded at a cost of GH�26,000, should have cost GH�18,000, noting further that the SRC president and his treasurer kept the difference. He is also said to have withdrawn GH�1,500 for the general annual meeting of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) at Wa in the Upper West region. He however ended up at Sunyani to attend the wedding ceremony of the national president of GNUPS as the national meeting of GNUPS was called off. The SRC president has not been able to also account for some money he took from students� purse, with the support of the treasurer, which was to be spent on activities for their SRC week. At the general assembly meeting of the SRC, which comprises class representatives and presidents of departments, on Saturday, the students called for the immediate impeachment of the duo. The general assembly unanimously endorsed the call by the students and consequently impeached the SRC president and the treasurer. A notice posted yesterday on the notice board of the polytechnic, signed on behalf of the Public Relations Officer of the SRC, Franklin Apau, said the SRC president and his treasurer had been impeached and that anybody who did business with them did so at his or her own risk. According to Daily Guide's sources, the move by the general assembly might do irreparable damage to the two executives� reputation and might affect them in future. They are therefore planning to convince the speaker of the general assembly to call for an emergency meeting on Thursday, so that they can beg the students to rescind their decision since they are ready to refund the money. Daily Guide also learnt that the SRC president has been living an ostentatious life on campus and is said to be the �darling� of most of the beautiful girls on campus.