THE ROT AT NSS READ MORE

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