The Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS),
Alhaji Alhassan Imoro and five of his directors have been ordered to
step aside for investigations on a GHC7.9 million rot at the NSS to
continue.
Also affected are more than 20 directors cited as allegedly partaking in the financial malfeasance at the scheme.
According to Daily Graphic’s correspondent, Mabel Aku Baneseh, a
statement issued in Accra, and signed by the Board Chairman of the NSS,
Mrs Gifty Mahama Biyira, said “the decision was taken at an emergency
meeting held on Friday, October 3, 2014.”
The affected personalities are Michael Kombor, director in-charge of
Finance and Administration; Ms Sophia Karen Akuoko, deputy director
in-charge of operations; Fiifi Asubonteng, director of IT; Alhassan
Iddrisu, director of PPME and Ms Gloria Aku Mensah, the acting internal
auditor.
Additionally, the Greater Accra Regional Director of the NSS, Seth
Asiedu and all other officers of the scheme, who have been cited in the
rot have also been directed to step aside.
Board takes over
Meanwhile, the governing board of the NSS has taken over the running of the NSS until further notice.
“The action by the Board is informed by its strong desire and
determination to pave the way for the on-going investigations into the
operations of the scheme and endure that all persons who may be found
culpable are appropriately sanctioned according to law,” the statement
said.
The Board assured the general public of its desire to pursue public
accountability and “elimination of all corrupt practices in the
operation of the scheme."
Graphic expose
The Daily Graphic broke the news on the rot at the NSS in its
Thursday, October 2, 2014 edition and followed up with the list of
23 directors of the NSS who paid a total of GHC200,000 as bribes in their attempt to influence operatives of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to stop investigations.
Alhaji Imoro allegedly parted with GHC100,000.00 out of the total amount to influence BNI investigators to conceal the canker.
Meanwhile, more 23 directors of the NSS have been picked up for questioning.
Information gathered by the Daily Graphic indicates that more persons are being picked up for their various roles in the rot.
The List
A total of GH¢7.9 million was paid to 22,612 non-existent national service persons in more than 100 districts in July 2014.
According to Daily Graphic checks, after hints of massive fraud at
the NSS, various sums of money and other items were used to induce
investigators to stop their attempt to uncover the rot.
The list, which is in the possession of the Daily Graphic, mentions
Alhaji Alhassan as having paid GH¢85,000 and GH¢15,000 on two separate
occasions.
The Daily Graphic has also gathered that there are video and audio
recordings of both the locations and the occasions the said directors
paid the bribes to BNI officials.
The paper has also learnt that smocks, tubers of yam, laptop
computers and goats were used by the directors in their effort to entice
the BNI officials to either stop or conceal the outcome of the
investigations.
Names of district directors
The next highest giver of the bribe after the NSS Boss is the Half
Assini District Director of the scheme, Alfred Mensah, who was said to
have parted with GH¢26,000.
Another suspect, Seth Laarfa Bekyire, was alleged to have paid
GH¢20,000 while Samuel Quansah, Roland Awuni, Stephen Agodoa and Justice
Nandi of the Nkwanta South, Nkwanta North, Krachi East and West
districts respectively, paid a total of GH¢7,200 as bribe while the
district director for the West Mamprusi and Moaduri district, Shaibu
Malik, was alleged to have paid GH¢4,000.00 as bribe.
Other names on the bribery list are Hayford Bredzez, Ho Municipality,
GH5,000; Mbema Saibu, East Gonja district, GH¢5,000; Samuel Bempong,
Kwahu North (Afram Plains), GH¢5,000, Alex Foley, Kenyasi, GH¢5,000,
Siibu Mahama, West and North Gonja, GH¢4,000; Tannoh Jones, Bechem,
GH¢3,000; Samuel Atta Gyesew, GH¢2,000 and Ralph Alorwu, Atebubu-Amaten,
GH¢1,000.
The other district directors who parted with various sums of money
and other items to conceal the outcome of the investigations are Lamini
Mohammed, Tano North, GH¢3,000 and two Samsung laptop computers; Ibrahim
Musah, Yendi, four smocks; Greater Accra Regional director of NSS, Nana
Diasekapa Obugyei II, GH¢2,000.00; Charles Ekpe, Akatsi district,
GH¢2000.00; Kena Asiedu, Kwahu West District, GH¢500.00 and Dzokoto
Nesta of the Sogakope district paid GH¢700.00 as bribe to BNI officials.
Investigations are ongoing to unearth the entire rot to pave the way
for the arrest of more people.
See table below.
Name
|
Alleged Bribe Amount
|
Ahaji Alhassan
|
GH¢100,000
|
Seth Laarfa Bekyire
|
GH¢20,000
|
Alfred Mensah
|
GH¢26,000
|
Shaibu Malik
|
GH¢4,000
|
Hayford Bredzez,
|
GH5,000
|
Mbema Saibu
|
GH¢5,000
|
Samuel Bempong
|
GH¢5,000
|
Alex Foley
|
GH¢5,000
|
Siibu Mahama
|
GH¢4,000
|
Tannoh Jones
|
GH¢3,000
|
Samuel Atta Gyesew
|
GH¢2,000
|
Ralph Alorwu
|
GH¢1,000
|
Lamini Mohammed
|
GH¢3,000
|
Ibrahim Musah
|
four smocks
|
Nana Diasekapa Obugyei II
|
GH¢2,000
|
Charles Ekpe
|
GH¢2000
|
Kena Asiedu
|
GH¢500
|
Dzokoto Nesta
|
GH¢700
|
Samuel Quansah, Roland Awuni, Stephen Agodoa and Justice Nandi
|
GH¢7,200
|
Investigations ongoing
According to a BNI report, the GH¢7.9 million represented the allowance paid to 22,612 non-existent service persons.
It said at the current monthly allowance of GH¢350 per a service
person, that meant that at least GH¢7,914,200 was lost to the state
every month.
“Annually, about GH¢94,970,400 in undeserved allowances is lost to
the state. The number of ghost names is expected to increase when the
exercise is completed,” it said.
Widespread problem
According to the report, investigators discovered that district
directors of the scheme were the sole signatories to the accounts opened
in the name of the NSS at the district level.
It said it was also established that National Service directors in
the districts and most managers of banks where NSS allowances were
lodged “worked closely together in these dubious payments”.
According to the report, the BNI, following reports of massive
malfeasance in the postings and the payment of the allowances to
National Service personnel, embarked on preliminary investigations in
selected districts and discovered that the rot was “pervasive and
deep-rooted in all the selected districts”.
“Based on the revelation, the BNI commissioned a nationwide
investigation into the operations of the National Service Scheme from
July 20, 2014,” the report noted.
HQ generated ghost names
It also came up during investigations that the ghost names, which
were available in all the district secretariats of the NSS were
generated at the headquarters of the NSS in Accra.
The ‘ghost’ service persons were mostly posted to rural areas and, in some cases, non-existent institutions and departments.
“After payments to genuine service personnel, the allowances of the
‘ghosts’ are withdrawn in bulk and shared among district, regional and
national officers of the NSS.
“The ghost names are distributed by the NSS Headquarters to its
regional directors, who also distribute them to the district national
service directors (DNSD),” the detailed report pointed out.
Confessions
According to the report, which is currently in the possession of the
Daily Graphic, most of the district directors broke down and confessed
that the booty had been withdrawn in bulk after the genuine service
personnel had been paid.
It said some of the directors confessed that the booty was then sent
to the regional directors, who doled out 30 per cent to the district
directors, while the remaining 70 per cent was shared between some
regional directors and directors at the NSS headquarters.
Writer's Email: Mabel.Baneseh@graphic.com.gh
