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The ongoing feud among the top hierarchy of the opposition New Patriotic Party over the operation of a supposed secret account at the Trust Towers branch of ECOBANK has taken an interesting twist, as the party’s 2016 flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is said to have admitted knowledge of the account.

Information gathered by The aL-hAJJ indicates that Nana Akufo-Addo, at the last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party at The Africa Regent Hotel, also admitted taking £100,000 from the contentious secret account for his recent overseas trip.

The shocking revelation of the existent of the account, which was previously unknown to some of the national executives of the party including the National Chairman and General Secretary, sources at the meeting told this paper, came to light when kingpins of the party questioned the veracity of the allegation of a secret account at ECOBANK at the Trust Towers, and which was alleged to be holding about GH¢6.2million, but, that had since shrunk to GHؔ¢5.1 million.

According to the source, two senior members of the party (names withheld), who are alleged to be signatories of the said account and which is without the knowledge and consent of the National Chairman, Paul Afoko, General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong and the party’s finance committee, were extensively questioned by members.

Our source revealed that when it was finally revealed that the account, which was kept away from the National Chairman and General Secretary and which had over GH¢6.2 million previously had shrunk to GH¢5.1 million, members became agitated, with one senior member of the party immediately calling for further probe and possible sanctions.

The highly incensed senior member of the party from Ashanti region (name withheld) immediately demanded the sanctioning of party officials responsible for the operation of the said secret account.

This, didn’t go down well with the 2016 flag bearer of the NPP, who perhaps, in a bid to save those behind the operation of the account, was reported to have angrily retorted; “what sanctions…what sanctions, don’t start talking about sanction now no one would be sanction… it was out of the money I took 100,000 pounds for my last trip to UK,” to the astonishment of all gathered.

Nana Akufo-Addo’s revelation of having foreknowledge of the account and that he had benefitted from it, this paper was further told, set tongues wagging.

"Hardly did this gentleman from Ashanti end his submission when our flag bearer raised his voice to insist, no one would be sanctioned. This was despite the fact that it was a party sub -committee that had been put in place to further investigate the matter and not the flag bearers’ committee,” our source stated.

What was said to have further left participants at the NEC meeting amazed and crestfallen was when the motion to set up a committee to probe the alleged lodgment of the party funds into the said "secret" account and its disbursement was tabled, Nana Akufo-Addo, who although, sought permission from the chairman for the function to contribute on the matter and without consultations with the party hierarchy; hurriedly and single handedly, went ahead to nominated five party stalwarts, most of whom are his unashamed loyalists, to constitute the committee.

“Those who were at the meeting were all amazed when Nana took it upon himself to nominate the five people as members of the committee to investigate those behind the secret account. They were surprise because, Nana was not the chairman of the meeting, as such he was not the one clothe with the powers to nominate the people, “the source revealed.

According to reports, the 2016 flag bearer’s unilateral action at the meeting, though angered the party chairman and some of the participants, none of them mustered courage to oppose him, not to talk of kicking against his decision to name the five member committee.
Meanwhile, as at press time yesterday, this paper had picked intelligence some dissatisfied members of the opposition NPP have filed a complaint with the police CID, who are reported to have begun investigations and will soon invite some people for questioning.

The aL-hAJJ recently reported of how the leadership of the biggest opposition New Patriotic Party is sharply divided over whether to report those alleged to be behind the operation of the GH¢6millon ECOBANK account to the security agencies.

Whiles reports suggest some, including Nana Akufo-Addo have kicked against the decision to hand the culprits to the security agencies, insisting that could heightened the already fluid situation in the party, others are strongly advocating for that.

Those pushing for the prosecution of the supposed wrongdoers were reported to have compared the NPP’s situation to that, once involving Dr Yaw Obed Asamoah where some party funds for the NDC got missing under his bed.

In order to iron out this issue, the party organized a NEC meeting of which Nana Akufo-Addo himself admitted having knowledge of the account and withdrawing £100,000 for his recent trip to UK.
In a related development, another member of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Daniel Baah Acheamfuor, has, on August 18, 2015, reported to the Ghana Police a suspected case of criminality in the matter of the suspected “secret account’. Based on this the police has invited certain party officials to assist in the investigations.

Read below his statement to the police.

REQUEST FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

I write to bring to your urgent attention some strange transactions with regards to the operation of the New Patriotic Party’s account with Ecobank Gh Limited, Trust Towers Branch, Accra by some National Executives of my party namely, Mr. Abankwa Yeboah, Treasurer, and Mr. Freddy Blay, 1st Vice Chairman.

My suspicion of Fraud by these two persons and other accomplice(s) have been occasioned by the illegal activating and suspected connivance with Ecobank to operate the said account without the attention of the constitutionally mandated procedures and signatories of the party’s account.

My preliminary investigations have revealed the following:
1. Bankers Draft in the name of the NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY totaling Five Million, Two Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS5,200.000.00) out of XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX paid by Parliamentary Aspirants and received by the party in respect of Parliamentary election expected to have been paid into the party’s Operational Account (Official) with Ghana Commercial Bank Limited of which the party’s mandatory signatories i.e. National Chairman, General Secretary and Treasurer are signatories to the account, were diverted into a different account without the attention of the party leadership and or party structures.

The account which has been a dormant account with the name; NPP 2010 Election Account at Ecobank, Trust Towers Branch. The account which is NOT the official operational account has since been inactive following the 2012 elections as the name of the account suggests.

2. Contrary to laid down party procedure, Mr. Abankwa singly wrote to the Manager of Ecobank Gh. Ltd, Trust Towers Branch and insisted for the mandate to be changed to himself, Mr. Abankwah Yeboah and Mr. Freddy Blay. Mr Abankwah falsely represented to the bank that the said letter was copied to the National Chairman and General Secretary; and caused the bank to change the signatories to himself and Mr. Blay.

3. Out of the monies received, XXXXXXXXXXXXX was deposited into the party’s official Operational Account with Ghana Commercial Bank. The remaining amount of Five Million, Two Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS5,200.000.00) were surprisingly deposited into the NPP 2010 Election Account instead of the official party's account with Ghana Commercial Bank.

4. Contrary to the party’s policy and without the authorisation of the mandated officials of our party, the Treasurer, Mr. Abankwah Yeboah, and the 1st Vice Chairman, Mr. Freddie Blay managed to make initial withdrawals summing to One Million, One Hundred and Three Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS1,103,000.00)

5. Additionally, Mr. Abankwah Yeboah and Mr. Freddie Blay managed to redirect Three Million, Nine Hundred and Ninety-nine Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS3,999,000.00) into Treasury Bill investment which was made in an unknown name.

I find this deliberate deception by Mr. Abankwah Yeboah and Mr. Freddie Blay to secure unfair and/or unlawful gain by misrepresenting to the bank, diverting public funds and enjoying the interest thereon to constitute Crime.

Further, I suspect conspiracy by bank officials of Ecobank in abetting with Mr. Abankwah Yeboah and Mr. Freddie Blay to defraud the party.

I hope that this lead would help your good office to immediately cause a thorough investigation and apprehend any person(s) who may have contributed to this unfortunate situation and made to face the full recourse of the law.

I pray your urgent attention.
Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
....... Signed.......
Baah Acheamfour
(N.P.P. Member)