Four Officials of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) have been interdicted over the findings of an internal audit into their activities and operations at the state institution.
The affected staff are Director of Legal Services, A.R. Mahama, Head of Finance, Kenneth Doh, Director of Marketing and Public relations, Edward Ashong-Lartey and Vivian Agyepong, an Administrative and Protocol officer.
The committee tasked to investigate the issue had made preliminary recommendations for an outright dismissal of the affected officers.
The findings of the audit, which dates back to the year 2011, exposed series of alleged fraudulent financial and administrative practices within the nation’s investment promotion organization.
The Director of Legal Services, Mr. Mahama, was cited for paying an amount of GHC 20, 900 of GIPC funds into his personal account in gross violation of Public Services regulation.
A letter recommending disciplinary action to be taken against Mr. Mahama said: “It is an known long this huge amount of public funds has been kept in his personal account without the knowledge of management of the Centre…”
The audit report, which is dated May 28, 2013, among others, indicated that there were irregular bank reconciliation of the Centre’s finances, no documented treasury process and no documented security policies.
The report also exposed lack of a documented payroll process as well as lack of clearly defined salary structure at GIPC. Others include lack of a transport policy, non-compliance of vehicle use controls and non-availability of a fleet register at the country’s investment promotion centre.
The audit report also exposed a high premium cost on foreign travel tickets, inadequate documentation on the Centre as well as irregularities in the payment of duty allowances and board secretariat allowances.
Officials of GIPC were tight-lipped over the issue when contacted by DAILY GUIDE.
The paper can, however, confirm that the four affected staff have since been slapped with letters informing them of their interdiction in order to enable a Disciplinary Committee constituted by the Board to investigate audit finding brought against them.
The audit report exposed serious infractions on the financial management of the organization including the payment of funds belonging to the authority into the private bank account of one of the affected officials.
Vivian, in particular, was said to have been picked up by National Security Operatives on Tuesday on suspicion that she was part of document-leaking syndicate operating at the Centre.
Her laptop and mobile phone were said to have been seized in the process.
Source: Daily Guide/Ghana
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