Taking his turn before the Committee probing the alleged scandal, Mr. Ofosuhene indicated that, accountants from his department stationed at the Trade Ministry dealt with the process without his initial knowledge.

[contextly_sidebar id=”PGPSO7KCU3HM01Sz6xpJG47PfRRvczmY”]“I’m not a party to whatever that happened at the MOTI place, so I wouldn’t know. And because the thing was not lodged into the consolidated fund they couldn’t have processed disbursement through the GIFMIS system because the money was not lodged into the consolidated fund, to form part of government funds.”

He further advised that a totally new and separate account should have been set up for the collection of funds from the expatriates, instead of the Trade’s Ministry’s account that was used, which made the funds realized from the event appear as if it was public funds.

“I would have told them that the money should be kept in MOTI account. Then the two would have agreed to open an account elsewhere and caption that account as MEF MOTI, so that it is not considered as a public account. But the existing MOTI account is a public account. So to me that would have been my advice, for such an event which is neither private nor public,” he told the Committee.

Background

The Ministry of Trade, which partnered the event organizers, Millennium Excellence Foundation, is alleged to have charged between $25,000 and $100,000, to enable expatriates to sit close to the President at the awards ceremony.

The allegation was first made by the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak in Parliament in December 2017.

Mr. Mubarak said the fees charged at the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards were not approved by Parliament, adding that the monies were also not accounted for in the Internally Generated Funds [IGF] of the Ministry’s accounts.

The allegation was further reinforced by Mr. Ablakwa, who suffered verbal assaults from Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah over the matter.

The Ministry of Trade said it played no role in determining prices for seats at the event, and clarified that it only facilitated the implementation of a new initiative by the Millennium Excellence Foundation.

But the Ministry after an order from the President to probe the matter clarified that an amount of GHc2, 667,215 was realized from the event. This was made known only after the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had asked the Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen, to investigate the matter and report to him.

The organizers of the Awards had also explained that no one paid to sit close to the President, and that the amount was raised from sponsorship through a fundraising at the event.

Parliament subsequently formed a five-member bi-partisan committee to investigate the matter.

Others interrogated

So far, the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak-Muntaka, North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyeremateng as well as officials from the Millennium Excellence Foundation, organizers of the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards, have all appeared before the committee.

Committee’s timeline extended to January 31

Meanwhile, the Committee has been given a one-week extension after they requested for additional time. They are now to present their report on January 31, 2018, instead of the original date of January 24.

This was confirmed to Citi News by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu.

Committee ‘secretly’ interrogates expatriates

The committee reportedly secretly grilled some members of the expatriate community in-camera by the 5 member ad-hoc bi-partisan committee probing the ‘Cash-For-Seat’ allegations.

According to Citi News’ Parliamentary Correspondent, Duke Mensah Opoku, the expatriates appeared before the Committee on Tuesday, and were grilled for close to three hours.

Duke stated that the content of the interrogation was unknown, and may only be available when the Committee finally presents its report.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post I had no hand in ‘cash-for-seats’ dealings – Controller appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The teachers maintain that, the three-months pay policy was an unfavorable policy introduced by the Mahama government to make up for several months of accrued salaries unduly delayed as a result of the bureaucratic processes involved in the appointment of new teachers.

[contextly_sidebar id=”rDgLyDZDlnQ15KIiH2B338FmRhHmNQfQ”]The teachers say they are now worse off with this policy since the three months’ pay is not forthcoming.

Addressing the Media in Ho, the Volta Regional Chairman, Solomon Takyi, applauded the new government for their decision to scrap the policy, but asked that affected teachers be paid their outstanding monies due them.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, since the introduction of the three months pay policy, teachers have been subjected to series of validation exercises some of which required affected teachers to queue and show all documents to enable them to receive their money. All these exercises yielded little or no result.”

“…I wish to commend the government for their support to make three (3) months pay killer policy a thing of past by securing financial clearance and all the necessary documentation for salary payment before issuing appointment letters to newly recruited teachers”.

He however accused personnel at the Controller and Accountant General of favoritism in disbursing the salaries, warning that such actions would create problems for the teacher unions.

“Our checks revealed that, salary arrears are being paid to teachers who go to negotiate with personnel at the Controller and Accountant Generals Department at a fee. When this continues, the purpose for the three (3) months pay policy will be defeated. I, therefore call on all the stakeholders to ensure those salary arrears are paid to deserving teachers by the end of January 2018 or face the wrath of teachers”.

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By: King Nobert Akpabli/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Gov’t must clear ‘3 months salary policy’ arrears – Volta CCT appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Those affected according to the Controller includes public sector workers who failed to validate their payroll through the Electronic Salary Payment Voucher (ESPV) system, those with irregular or no bank account details, those with wrong SSNIT numbers, as well as employees not captured on the biometric registration system at the Ministry of Finance.

The Controller said it took the decision based on Regulations 297 of the Financial Administration Regulation, 2004 (LI 1802), with an objective of cleaning the payroll system and “improve efficiency of the government of Ghana payroll management.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”y1hR1qbuBDKDKgIU1JOPhbNP7DhzdeTy”]Affected employees according to the CAGD in an announcement in the Thursday edition of the Daily Graphic newspaper, would have to take advantage of the requirement for mandatory monthly validation of salaries.

“Those whose salaries were suspended due to non-validation of salaries would be paid at the end of September 2017 on the condition that their heads of department validate them on the ESPV platform for September 2017,” the CAGD added.

It further in the notice said employees declared unknown but not missing at their various places of work, are required to submit reactivation letters signed by their heads of departments to the Controller and Accountant General’s department payroll processing division.

“Employees with zero or irregular bank account details and others with wrong or without SSNIT numbers and employees sharing the same account numbers should submit the required information to the payroll processing directorate of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department for processing. Employees yet to go through the biometric registration exercise should contact the biometric registration center at the Ministry of Finance with the necessary documents for registration,” the notice signed by the Controller and Accountant General, Eugene Ofosuhene added.

Ghost names on payroll

Government undertook a similar action in April 2017 against public sector workers who were not captured on the new SSNIT biometric system.

A press statement from the Ministry of Finance at the time explained that “those affected had not been registered on the new SSNIT biometric system, despite several directives to do so.”

The Ministry also announced the suspension of payment of SSNIT contribution to some 23,029 employees because they could not be accounted for in a nationwide head count which ended on the 22nd of October 2016.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Gov’t suspends workers’ salaries over wrong bank accounts appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to them, although they were not in office, the Controller and Accountant General still deducted ten percent from their salary arrears but was not injected into the CHPS compound projects which warranted the cut.

Speaking to Citi News’ Franklin Badu Jnr, a former Presidential Staffer, Emelia Arthur demanded a refund of the monies.

[contextly_sidebar id=”9SAVO4eRfSU75eoVi2RKqVr2dWIhw9Zh”]“It has come to our attention that since we left office some back pay that was owed us, Controller and Accountant General disbursed the ten percent, lodged it with Bank of Ghana and between controller and Bank of Ghana we don’t know where that money is. Because we were no longer in office, it is our private money and not for the state any longer.”

She explained that a team of former appointees are currently liaising with the sectors involved for the monies to be returned to them.

“That money is with them, it is our private money and we want that money back. I am not sure of the amount. But what we have done is that a team of former appointees have come together and have been liaising with the Ministry of Finance, bank of Ghana, controller and Accountant general for the 10 percent of the arrears deducted to be returned to us,” she added.

Mahama 10% pay cut missing

Ms Arthur made the claim a day after member of the Public Accounts Committee and Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso accused the former administration of not using due process in transferring the monies worth more than two million Ghana cedis meant for the construction of some CHPS compounds.

But the former appointee insisted that the followed due process and the 10 percent pay cut was used for the purpose to which it was intended.

“At the time we were leaving office, we had built 11 and started a twelfth one. And then we started a last one in Volta Region, Ho Zongo specifically. It was at the foundation stage when we left office. And because we weren’t going to be in office for further deductions to take place, it stopped at that.”

She said out of number six were fully completed, some of which were commissioned adding that “five were nearly done, because they are usable and habitable and left with were left with only some small touches.”

Emelia Arthur explained that as at the time they were leaving office, “all we need to finish everything was about GHc124, 000 to finish the other five of the 11 except Ho that was at foundation level.”

“We followed due process. Whenever the contractor raised a certificate it would go with the necessary attached memos through the process in the office of the president as is used by all MDAs per financial laws in this country. Once we were satisfied that the certificates that had being raised were justified the accountant in the Flagstaff House would sign a cheque in the name of the contractor and it will be given to the contractor who then will pay into his account and the office of the president will alert the Bank of Ghana that such a cheque with this amount has issued to this entity and the cheque will be honoured. All these are verifiable.”

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Gov’t withholding our 10% salary arrears – Mahama appointees appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Auditor General, in his report on the Public Accounts of Ghana for the year ended December 2015 noted that over GHc 800,000 was accrued in 2014 but the report failed to state the amount for 2015 and 2016.

Speaking before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday on the non-disclosure  of the funds, the Deputy Controller and Accountant General, Kwasi Owusu, said the money was recalled by the Chief of Staff,

“When the policy was initiated by the government, we were holding the money in trust. Subsequently, they decided that we should bring the money to them. So as and when we deduct from the pay roll, it goes directly to the owner of the money and that is why in 2015, we didn’t see anything at all because the money was not meant for government.”

Mr. Owusu noted further that the action was sanctioned by the Executive, which “wrote that we should release the money and we released the money accordingly… let’s say [the letter was] from the Chief of Staff.”

But in a later interview with Citi News, the Nhiyeaso Member of Parliament, Kennedy Kankam Kwasi who first raised the issue, said due process was not followed in transferring the deductions to the Chief of Staff’s office.

Despite the explanation, he was adamant some money was paid into and withdrawn from the consolidated fund without recourse to constitutional provisions.

“… in 2014, GHc 896,457 was paid into the consolidated fund and we just want to find out where that money went to, how the money was taken from the consolidated fund and who took that money from the consolidated fund.”

“So far as the money was captured into the consolidated accounts, you need to invoke Article 178 of Ghana’s Constitution and the relevant regulations before you can withdraw money from the accounts.”

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By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Monies from Mahama’s 10% pay cut missing appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The leadership of the union, operating under the Ghana federation of disability organisation, picketed at the Controller and Accountant General’s department yesterday [Thursday] to protest against the non-payment of these allowances.

According to the union, even though the Ministry of Finance had approved these allowances, the Controller and Accountant General’s department had refused to them.

But speaking to Citi News, the President for the union, Yaw Ofori Debrah said the picketing was successful as their demand has now been met.

According to Mr. Debrah, the Head of Payroll at the department was not aware of the union’s grievances but he was able but some headway was made at the end of the picketing

“The Head of Payroll, Mr. George Baah engaged us and we went through the discussion relating to the problems that we presented and according to him, he was not in the know about our grievances.”

“For that matter, he was able to bring the staff who were dealing with such matters so, at the end of the day, we have achieved what we set out to look for, that is getting our allowances paid by the end of January,” Mr. Debrah said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Disabled workers to receive transport allowances in Jan 2017 appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.