Speaking to Citi News’ Umaru Sanda Amadu, the Executive Director of EOCO, K. K. Amoah, said the directors in question had until 5:00pm today to report.

[contextly_sidebar id=”KaToAZrKrBiEYzbnMdyCUeE7Jr9y6mdc”]Without providing details, he said his team would take the next step of action should the directors fail to report by the 5:00pm deadline.

“They should not create problems for themselves. They shouldn’t,” Mr. Amoah warned.

Former Directors of Capital Bank, which also collapsed alongside UT Bank, will also appear before EOCO next Wednesday.

The two banks were taken over by the Bank of Ghana in 2017, and subsequently handed over to GCB Bank.

The liabilities of the banks, according to the central bank, overwhelmed their assets, leaving them with no option but to undertake a purchase and assumption transaction as the least costly method of dealing with a collapse.

Following findings of an investigative report, EOCO said it is probing further the issues surrounding the liquidation, but it is having difficulties reaching the directors of the collapsed banks.

But the investigation is yet to start in full force, according to the EOCO boss.

“It is a normal investigative process that we are doing. It is a complaint that we are investigating. We haven’t even commenced the investigation,” Mr. Amoah said.

“We gave them today. We are hoping that by the close of today they come. We gave them 9:30 this morning, and we are hoping that by the close of day, by 5:00 pm [they come],” he added.

Citi News also understands that Managers of uniBank which was recently taken over by the BoG with KPMG as the administrator will also be invited by EOCO in due course.

–

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

The post Don’t create problems for yourselves – EOCO warns UT Bank directors appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This follows findings of an investigative report on the collapse of the bank which was submitted to the Bank of Ghana.

[contextly_sidebar id=”FZ8VxrNxWRPy0EthCAuI3LqorL5OcTX0″]Former Directors of Capital Bank which also collapsed alongside UT Bank will also appear before the EOCO next Wednesday.

The Bank of Ghana in August 2017, revoked the licences of UT and Capital Banks. The two banks were subsequently handed over to GCB Bank.

The liabilities of the two banks, according to the central bank, overwhelmed their assets, leaving the BoG with no option but to undertake a purchase and assumption transaction as the least costly method of dealing with a collapse.

Citi News also understands that Managers of uniBank which was recently taken over by the BoG with KPMG as the administrator, will also be invited by EOCO in due course.

–
By: Sammi Wiafe/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post EOCO invites UT, Capital Bank directors over collapse appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the Acting Chief Executive Officer of EOCO, ACP K. K. Amoah, the docket has been forwarded to the Attorney-General for scrutiny and advice.

EOCO started investigating SSNIT in August 2017 after it emerged that the Trust had injected $72 million on the  procurement and installation of a software and other hardware systems known as the Operational Business Suite (OBS) to digitize SSNIT’s operations.

[contextly_sidebar id=”DYxYygwSObrsuVhPhEaA9FPkcH7ERnx5″]The Trust had been widely lambasted over the project which is reportedly not fully functional.

The project included the installation of a software to ensure that its headquarters receives data directly from all of its offices.

Speaking to Accra based Joy FM today [Friday], February 23, 2018, Acting Chief Executive Officer of EOCO, ACP K. K. Amoah, said the “Attorney-General [Gloria Akuffo] is studying the docket and you will soon hear from her office”

Although he failed to give further details, ACP Amoah said “…some officers are being held responsible.”

15 witnesses appeared before EOCO

The Board Chairman of SSNIT, Kwame Addo Kufuor, in an earlier interview with Citi News in August 2017 confirmed that about 15 people appeared before EOCO as witnesses in the matter.

SSNIT also contracted PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct an audit into the contract.

In a 4-point statement released in 2017, “SSNIT said it expects the names of the people associated with the I.T (OBS) contracts to be released in the near future.”

SSNIT further assured that it will publish findings from the audit by PricewaterhouoesCoopers into the matter.

Fake MIS boss

Amidst the controversy, it emerged that the General Manager of MIS at SSNIT, Caleb Afaglo, who was appointed to the position in 2015, did not hold the right qualifications.

He was interdicted by the management of the Trust over suspicions that his Bachelors’, Masters’ and Doctorate degrees were fake.

EOCO conducted raids in his house, seized his passport and froze his bank account to commence investigations into his qualifications.

EOCO also reportedly interrogated members of Mr. Afaglo’s household, and confiscated a number of documents belonging to him.

The Management of SSNIT subsequently said it was fully convinced that the degrees were fake and has therefore taken the decision to sack Mr. Afaglo.

Mr. Afaglo’s CV indicates that he acquired his BSC and MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a PHD from the Kennedy Western University, which was an affiliate of the University of Cincinnati until it was closed down in 2011.

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post EOCO ends probe into $72m SSNIT software scandal, heads to roll appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The meeting, according to Mr. Aggrey-Fynn, is to enable the members take decisions on the operations of the electoral management body.

The memo, which is referenced by a Daily Guide publication, and seen by Citi News suggests that Mr. Aggrey-Fynn in August 2017 similarly wrote demanding a meeting of the Commission but got no response from the Chairperson.

[contextly_sidebar id=”3gkbwB9yjAgOqNhY4jE4vFIezvy5nORo”]“I am by this memo demanding that you call a commission meeting immediately to enable the commission carry to carry out its function.”

Mr. Aggrey-Fynn indicated that “Failure to hear from by 23^rd February, 2018 on my request will leave me with no option than to explore other options of compelling you to do so to enable me perform my constitutional mandate as a member of the commission.”

According to the Daily Guide publication, Mr. Aggrey-Fynn is dissatisfied that Madam Charlotte Osei is managing the electoral management body as though she were a sole Commissioner.

The Electoral Commission is currently engulfed in unending legal tussles many believe is hindering its daily operations.

Chief Justice committee

Currently, a five-member committee presided over by Justice A.A Benin of the Supreme Court, is investigating the EC chair and her two deputies as prescribed under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.

The whole action was triggered by a petition sent to the presidency by lawyer Maxell Opoku-Agyemang who was acting on behalf of some unnamed staff of the commission who were seeking to trigger impeachment proceedings against Charlotte Osei.

A litany of allegations leveled against Charolotte Osei including spending GHc3.9 million to partition an office, receipt of a bullet-proof Toyota Land Cruiser from the previous government, spending about $14 million for district offices when the Public Procurement Authority  (PPA) had authorized her to use only $7.5 million as well as attending Cabinet meetings under President John Mahama’s administration, among others.

Endowment fund and EOCO

Already some executives of Commission including Deputy Chairperson of EC in charge of Corporate Services, Georgina Opoku Amankwah, have been on leave to enable the Economic and Organised Crime Office [EOCO] investigate the commission in relation to some missing sums of money in the Commission’s Endowment Fund.

Madam Opoku Amankwah and two others were directed to proceed on leave in July 2017, to enable investigations into the GHc480, 000 believed to have gone missing from the EC’s Senior Staff Endowment Fund.

The Deputy EC Chair forcibly resumed duty in January 2018, a move which compelled officials of EOCO storm the premises of the commission.

She and her lawyer however gave EOCO a 14-day ultimatum to enable crime office compile its report.

Gov’t using EOCO to hound EC’s Opoku Amankwah – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has also accused the Akufo-Addo government of using the EOCO as a conduit to torment the Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission in charge of Corporate Services, Georgina Opoku Amankwah, in a bid to get her out of office.

According to them, EOCO is hounding Madam Amankwah to give way for government to replace her with a member of the New Patriotic Party.

–

By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post EC member orders Charlotte Osei to convene meeting appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the Head of Administration at EOCO, Seidu Adams, they were inspired to do this after one of their colleagues urgently needed blood, and they had to fall on some staff members for help.

He said the initiative also forms part of the agency’s corporate social responsibilities.

“This exercise actually is informed by the fact that we recognize that as an institution we are part of corporate Ghana. As corporate Ghana, we also have certain social responsibilities apart from our mandate as a law enforcement institution. This exercise of blood donation was informed by a situation where one of us needed blood and we had to organize our staff to go and donate. When we told our staff about the situation, the response was so overwhelming. And from that call, we realized that there is the need to extend it to the larger society. That is what informed our action, It was a free will thing, it was not forced,” he said

“When there was a need for us to give a colleague, it was tremendous and overwhelming, we didn’t have to put up a notice. I just called the heads of department to inform them of the situation at hand. Within the next 15 minutes, I could count about 15 when we needed only three pints of blood. So it was that situation that we realized that people are willing to give to society, so we took it from there.”

EOCO is a specialized state agency tasked with a responsibility to monitor and investigate economic and organised crime, and on the authority of the Attorney General, prosecute offences to recover proceeds from crimes committed.

Seidu Adams said there was an agreement with the Korle-Bu Blood Bank to help coordinate and facilitate the exercise.

He called on other corporate institutions to follow their path to help save lives.

“We are social beings, we are human beings and as human beings we need to fit, we also have to recognize the fact that sickness is part of life and growth, so giving it out, it’s really good for all of us. So we encourage other institutions to join in” he added.

Akosua Brefewaa, a donor recruitment officer, in outlining the qualification criteria for the donation of blood, said  “You are supposed to be between the ages of 17 to 60, and when you come, you are supposed to have a good blood level which we will check for you, we check your BP, we check your pulse, so we just do some mini medical screening, and if you are successful, then you are allowed to donate.”

“The qualification basically is on your health status, it has nothing to do with heights or your size, but if you have a good blood level, you have a good body weight, which should be 50kg and above. You are within the ages of 17 to 60, you are not diabetic, you are not pregnant, you are not breastfeeding, yes, you can donate blood.”

She pledged the support of the Korle-Bu Blood Bank to any corporate institution interested in holding a blood donation exercise.would like to embark on this exercise.

–

By: Ann-Shirley Ziwu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post EOCO staff donate blood to Korle-Bu Blood Bank appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Citi News sources say the letter, which was copied to the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO), maintains that Mr. Kwaku-Asamoah is currently not under investigation, and must not be restrained from performing his duties.

[contextly_sidebar id=”NpsHkQQqP7HA199MDZ5IfOLoVsWXf1ee”]About seven months ago, the Finance Director, together with the Commission’s two deputy chairpersons, were directed to proceed on leave for investigations into the missing GHc 480, 000 from the EC’s Staff Endowment Fund.

But Citi News sources say his lawyers in the letter argue that, it is unjust for him to be locked out of his office when the alleged malfeasance did not happen under him.

Meanwhile, Citi News has also sighted an advise from the Attorney General’s Office asking EOCO to conduct a comprehensive independent forensic audit of the EC’s Staff Endowment Fund to deepen the investigation.

In the Attorney General’s opinion, EOCO’s investigations failed to prove whether any money was indeed misappropriated, and how much was involved.

Amankwah’s woes

In a related development, EOCO, on Monday rejected media reports suggesting that it has cleared the Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission in charge of Corporate Services, Georgina Opoku Amankwah of any wrongdoing following a probe into the  GHc480,000 believed to have gone missing from the EC’s Senior Staff Endowment Fund.

“We wish to emphatically and categorically state that no such clearance has been issued to any of the Officers of the Electoral Commission who are on leave,” EOCO said in a brief statement issued on Tuesday.

Madam Amankwah together with Dr.  Asamoah and another director of the EC were directed to proceed on leave in July 2017, to enable EOCO investigate the matter.

Although she forcibly resumed duty last week, Madam Amankwah and her lawyer after meeting with EOCO officials, agreed on a 14-day ultimatum  by which time she wants the EOCO report on her to be ready. She has vowed to return to work if she does not receive any response from EOCO.

This ultimatum was  agreed upon after officials of the investigative body stormed her office to prevent her from occupying it.

But even before the 14-day period elapses, the Daily Guide newspaper in its January 23, 2018 edition, reported that some documents available to it from the Attorney General’s Department suggest that the affected officers including Opoku Amankwa have been cleared of any malfeasance.

According to the newspaper, “The report, dated January 10, 2018, indicates that the focus of the EOCO investigation was on Samuel Yorke Aidoo, the then Director of Finance, as well as Ishmael Pensah, a former Chief Accountant, who no longer works with the EC.”

Daily Guide further suggested that Georgina Opoku-Amankwaah and the other directors being investigated were allegedly being hounded by EOCO on the instruction of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei.

But EOCO in its statement said the claims by the Paper are untrue.

“…the attribution that ‘EC Chairperson is said to be manipulating EOCO’ is blatant falsehood and needs to be condemned. The general public is invited to disregard the said publication,” the statement added.

The statement however fell short of addressing the newspaper’s claim of a report from the Attorney General’s Department.

–

By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Reinstate me now, else… – EC Finance director fumes appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“We wish to emphatically and categorically state that no such clearance has been issued to any of the Officers of the Electoral Commission who are on leave,” EOCO said in a brief statement issued on Tuesday.

[contextly_sidebar id=”7ebW6pzkyBQ4GkBCvqw3mEqRtHDWcMys”]Madam Amankwah was however directed to proceed on leave in July 2017, to enable EOCO investigate the matter.

Although she forcibly resumed duty last week, Madam Amankwah and her lawyer after meeting with EOCO officials, agreed on a 14-day ultimatum  by which time she wants the EOCO report on her to be ready. She has vowed to return to work if she does not receive any response from EOCO.

This ultimatum was  agreed upon after officials of the investigative body stormed her office to prevent her from occupying it.

But even before the 14-day period elapses, the Daily Guide newspaper in its January 23, 2018 edition, reported that some documents available to it from the Attorney General’s Department suggest that the affected officers including Opoku Amankwa have been cleared of any malfeasance.

According to the newspaper, “The report, dated January 10, 2018, indicates that the focus of the EOCO investigation was on Samuel Yorke Aidoo, the then Director of Finance, as well as Ishmael Pensah, a former Chief Accountant, who no longer works with the EC.”

Daily Guide further suggested that Georgina Opoku-Amankwaah and the other directors being investigated were allegedly being hounded by EOCO on the instruction of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei.

But EOCO in its statement said the claims by the Paper are untrue.

“…the attribution that ‘EC Chairperson is said to be manipulating EOCO’ is blatant falsehood and needs to be condemned. The general public is invited to disregard the said publication,” the statement added.

The statement however fell short of addressing the newspaper’s claim of a report from the Attorney General’s Department.

Below the brief statement from EOCO:

PRESS RELEASE

ECONOMIC AND ORGANISED CRIME OFFICE- EOCO

The attention of the authority at the EOCO has been drawn to the banner headline of the 23^rd January 2018 Edition of the Daily Guide Newspaper that “EOCO Clears EC Top Officers”.

We wish to emphatically and categorically state that no such clearance has been issued by this Office to any of the Officers of the Electoral Commission.

Secondly, the attribution that “EC Chairperson is said to be manipulating EOCO” is blatant falsehood and needs to be condemned. The general public is invited to disregard the said publication.

EOCO will issue a statement on this matter.

SGD

ACP K.K. AMOAH (RTD)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DATED – 23^RD JANUARY, 2018

Background

In September 2017, EOCO confirmed that the money which went missing from the Electoral Commission (EC)’s Endowment Fund did not end up in the accounts of the officials of the EC under investigation.

However, the Executive Director of EOCO, K. K. Amoah, insisted that it was too early to conclude that the officials are innocent, given the mandate and access they had to the funds during the period.

EOCO commenced investigations into the activities of three officials of the EC; Georgina Opoku Amankwah, Chief Accountant, Kwaku Owusu Agyei-Larbi and Finance Officer, Joseph Kwaku Asamoah, after over 480,000 cedis went missing, resulting in the officials being asked to proceed on leave.

Speaking to Accra-based Peace FM, the Executive Director of EOCO, K. K. Amoah, stated that, investigations were far advanced into the matter, and that they were going to submit their findings to the Attorney General, which has since been done.

According to him, there have been claims that the money from the Endowment Fund was used for some projects for the EC, but he said no documents have been provided to prove this claim.

“It’s been suggested that the money was used for some work for the EC. If that’s the case, they should bring receipts and documents to prove it. We haven’t got any such documents from them. Without those documents, we’ll continue to pursue them. With time, we will pass the information on to the Attorney General to pursue the matter in court.”

K. K. Amoah also clarified that the officials under investigation were still on leave and had not been interdicted.

‘Officials assisting investigations’

The Head of Communications at the EC, Eric Kofi Dzakpasu, stated in July 2017 that, the three officials proceeded on leave in order to protect the integrity of investigations by EOCO.

A letter, written to the Chair of the EC, Charlotte Osei, dated July 4th, 2017 from EOCO, said “the suspects are assisting in investigations.”

Charlotte Osei, 2 deputies facing C’ttee in ‘corruption’ probe

On December 19, 2017, the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, formally constituted a committee to investigate the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, and her two deputies, over corruption allegations leveled against them, with a caution to the general public to desist from making demeaning comments about their work.

“The general public is hereby informed that, Her Ladyship the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia A.B. Akuffo, in accordance with Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, has set up a five-member committee to investigate allegations brought against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs. Charlotte Osei, and her two deputies, Mr. Amadu Sulley and Mrs. Georgina Opopu-Amankwa.”

In a statement signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Alex B. Poku-Acheampong, the Chief Justice said anyone who makes comments that undermine the work of the Committee, will be cited for contempt.

In a release copied to citifmonline.com, the Judicial Secretary,  said the sittings of the Committee will be closed to the public.

The release, which failed to indicate the names of the Committee members, as well as state exactly when the Committee will start its work, said it will be chaired by a Justice of the Supreme Court.

The Petitions

Some staff of the EC petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in July 2017, to remove Mrs. Osei from office over allegations of fraud and financial malfeasance as well as abuse of office.

Some of the allegations involved the unilateral award of contracts by the EC boss in the run-up to the 2016 general election. The unnamed EC staff are being represented by Lawyer Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, against Mrs. Osei.

The petition against her, alleged among others the funneling of GH¢3.9 million to partition an office, the receipt of a Toyota Land Cruiser from the Mahama government, and the use of about $14 million when the Public Procurement Authority had authorized her to use only $7.5 million.

Charlotte Osei takes on Deputies

Mrs. Osei also responded by making allegations of corruption against her deputies, claiming that she was only being hounded because she sought to introduce systems to curb misuse and mismanagement of resources.

Charlotte Osei among other claims, accused deputy Chairperson of the Commission of illegally signing contracts  worth over GHC 40 million without her approval.

Fresh impeachment against EC Chair

Subsequently, another individual by name Douglas Seidu, a concerned Ghanaian, also petitioned the President in August 2017, seeking the removal of the EC Chair, on grounds of “financial misconduct, incompetence, conflict of interest, breaches of the public procurement processes, amongst others.

It is an eight-paged petition” according to the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, who spoke to Citi News in August.

President Akufo-Addo in accordance with the constitution forwarded both petitions to the Chief Justice to look into the matter.

Suggestions are that both petitions have been consolidated to make the Committee’s work easier.

–

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

The post We haven’t cleared EC’s Opoku Amankwah – EOCO appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This was among the major issues discussed at a meeting between officials of the EOCO and Madam Amankwaah’s lawyers after a near clash on Monday.

Officials of the Economic and Organised Crimes Office, EOCO, led by the Director, ACP K.K. Amoah, had stormed her office at the Electoral Commission to forcefully remove her from office for resuming full official duties in defiance of a directive that asked her to stay away.

The Deputy chair resisted the attempts to get her out of the office, indicating that the EC was treating her unfairly.

But following a meeting between her lawyer and officials of EOCO, it was agreed that EOCO presents its findings within 14 days.

Georgina Opoku Amankwah’s lawyer, Nana Boakye Adu-Poku, told Citi News after the meeting that, “they [EOCO] said they have conducted an investigation so we have to see the outcome of the investigation. What we have agreed is that, for now, she has to stay out for some time and after 14 days, whether the report is in or not, she will proceed to work.”

Madam Opoku Amankwah was directed to proceed on leave in July 2017, to enable investigations into the 480,000 Ghana cedis believed to have gone missing from the EC’s Senior Staff Endowment Fund.

Endowment Fund cash not in EC officials’ accounts – EOCO

In September 2017, EOCO confirmed that the money which went missing from the Electoral Commission (EC)’s Endowment Fund did not end up in the accounts of the officials of the EC under investigation.

However, the Executive Director of EOCO, K. K. Amoah, insisted that it was too early to conclude that the officials are innocent, given the mandate and access they had to the funds during the period.

EOCO commenced investigations into the activities of three officials of the EC; Georgina Opoku Amankwah, Chief Accountant, Kwaku Owusu Agyei-Larbi and Finance Officer, Joseph Kwaku Asamoah, after over 480,000 cedis went missing, resulting in the officials being asked to proceed on leave.

Speaking to Accra-based Peace FM, the Executive Director of EOCO, K. K. Amoah, stated that, investigations were far advanced into the matter, and that they were going to submit their findings to the Attorney General, which has since been done.

According to him, there have been claims that the money from the Endowment Fund was used for some projects for the EC, but he said no documents have been provided to prove this claim.

“It’s been suggested that the money was used for some work for the EC. If that’s the case, they should bring receipts and documents to prove it. We haven’t got any such documents from them. Without those documents, we’ll continue to pursue them. With time, we will pass the information on to the Attorney General to pursue the matter in court.”

K. K. Amoah also clarified that the officials under investigation were still on leave and had not been interdicted.

‘Officials assisting investigations’

The Head of Communications at the EC, Eric Kofi Dzakpasu, stated in July 2017 that the three officials proceeded on leave in order to protect the integrity of investigations by EOCO

“What I know is that, EOCO is investigating matters related to staff endowment fund where we have some gap in the deposits which must be paid to the staff from the deductions of the staff. As a result of which EOCO has started investigations and all persons who are related to the issue have been called for questioning… The commission is fully cooperating with EOCO as far as this investigation is concerned,” he said

A letter, written to the Chair of the EC, Charlotte Osei, dated July 4th, 2017 from EOCO, said “the suspects are assisting in investigations.”

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post EOCO to release findings on EC’s Opoku Amankwah in 14-days appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to EOCO, over 16 British have fallen victim to the fraud which involves about £5 million

The suspects, Moro Musah and Sabina Adzre, allegedly operate with UK-based Opoku Agyeman, who is believed to be a Ghanaian citizen.

The two were arrested on Tuesday morning.

Addressing the media on the development, a Deputy Executive Director of EOCO in charge of Operations, Nana Antwi, said further investigations into the matter are ongoing.

He said the one-year investigation was a collaboration between the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), NACOB, Police, and coordinated by EOCO as well as the UK’s National Crime Agency.

Nana Antwi noted that, the investigations, which was started by the UK’s Crime Agency, revealed that the monies acquired through the crime were transferred to Ghana through some banks, withdrawn and later invested in legitimate businesses mainly clothing.

“Following an investigation into trade-based money laundering in the UK and in Ghana, the NCA commenced an investigation into the money laundering and romance fraud. So far, the investigations have uncovered that over 16 persons have fallen victims to this fraud from which over £5 million has been identified as stolen from victims in the UK. This amount has been transferred from the UK and found their way through certain accounts in some banks in Ghana. Currently, those monies have been withdrawn from those accounts,” he said.

“The use of second-hand clothing, for that matter, the textiles business, has been applied to launder the proceeds of the identified romance fraud. The Ghanaian security agencies were alerted by their counterparts in the UK, and we in Ghana also commenced investigations into the fraud about a year ago,” he added.

The EOCO Deputy Executive Director, who described the case as a “complex organized financial crime”, added that a simultaneous search in some residences of suspects led to the arrest of the two persons in Accra, and one other in the UK.

–

By: Sixtus Dong-Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post EOCO arrests 2 Ghanaians for money laundering, romance scam appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The incident took place a day ahead of an Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) forensic audit into the operations of the authority.

[contextly_sidebar id=”IrqrlfKKEbzQqw4QORWdihulHQxjsuBm”]Fire gutted the finance department of the GMA last Wednesday, destroying every document and leaving the institution with no financial records in hard copies.

No backup

“Unfortunately, we do not have a backup of what we lost and the authority has all this while been keeping records manually,” the Director-General of the GMA, Kwame Owusu, confirmed to the Daily Graphic on Tuesday.

He explained that a team from EOCO was at the GMA to begin a preliminary forensic audit, but the fire incident occurred on the eve of the scheduled date (last Thursday) for the full audit.

He said investigations were underway to establish the cause of the fire and until then, he could not conclude whether the incident was arson to cover up malfeasance.

The authority
The GMA was established by an Act of Parliament (Act 630 of 2002) with the responsibility of monitoring, regulating and coordinating activities in the maritime industry.

It is headed by a director-general with a 13-member governing board, made up mainly of institutional representatives from key maritime agencies.

Mr Owusu, who assumed office in March this year, said he took over an institution in dire financial straits.

Millions lost
The director-general said the authority, in 2016, lost GH¢7 million as a result of financial impropriety, citing the lack of prudent financial management as responsible for the situation.

He posited that the financial immodesty found expression in the expenditure of the authority which far exceeded its income.

“The ideas I am bringing here are re-engineering and cost cutting. Things are now getting better and there is a lot we can do,” Mr Owusu said.

Monitoring
On how effectively the authority was monitoring the country’s territorial waters, Mr Owusu expressed concern that the GMA, since its inception, had no patrol boats to monitor territorial waters.

He, therefore, noted that he would champion an effort to procure more surveillance equipment and patrol boats to secure the country’s waters.

–

Source: Daily Graphic

The post Fire destroys records at Maritime Authority ahead of EOCO audit appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.