UK Firm Dupes GBC: Big Hunt For Directors

National Security and INTERPOL have mounted a search for the directors of Sound Broadcast Services (SBS), a UK based company alleged to have defrauded the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to the tune of �24,516.65 under the pretext or supplying GBC with three Frequency Modulation (FM) transmitters. The Director-General of GBC, Mr. William Ampem Darko, is said to have paid the amount to SBS for the supply of the three FM transmitters to beef up the operations of GBC FM stations at Amedzofe and Tamale. But the directors of SBS, upon receipt of the money, declared the company bankrupt and suggested that the �24,516.65 it had received from GBC be considered a dash. They also disappeared soon after receiving the amount. A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed to the Daily Graphic that the government had received a letter from the management of GBC informing it of the failure of SBS to either supply the three FM transmitters or refund the �24,516.65. �The management of GBC has written to us requesting the government to help it to retrieve the money,� he said. According to the deputy minister, before declaring their company bankrupt, the directors of SBS bounced back and requested GBC to pay an additional �72,205.51 to a sister company, Eddystone Broadcast Limited, for the supply of the three transmitters. He, however, declined to give the names of the directors for security reasons.Consequently, the management of GBC wrote a letter, signed by Mr. Ampem Darko, to the government, requesting it to help trace the directors of SBS and retrieve the �24,516.65. Mr. Ablakwa said the government had forward the letter to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice for advice. He said since it was an international crime, the government had asked National Security to team up with INTERPOL to trace the directors of SBS. He said the government would ensure that the money was retrieved and expressed the hope that National security and INTERPOL would help to achieve that. Mr. Ablakwa declined to comment further on the issue, saying that �the government wants to wait for the investigations to conclude� Meanwhile, another company, Thompson Grass Valley, which was also contacted by the GBC to supply it with three television transmitters, fulfilled its part of the bargain.