{"id":343732,"date":"2017-08-10T13:01:35","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T13:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=343732"},"modified":"2017-08-10T13:01:35","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T13:01:35","slug":"we-didnt-waste-mahamas-10-pay-cut-former-appointee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/08\/we-didnt-waste-mahamas-10-pay-cut-former-appointee\/","title":{"rendered":"We didn’t waste Mahama’s 10% pay cut \u2013 Former appointee"},"content":{"rendered":"

A former Presidential Staffer under the Mahama administration Emelia Arthur has rubbished allegations of irregularities in the transfer of monies accrued from their 10 percent pay cut<\/strong><\/a><\/span> to the office of the former Chief of Staff Julius Debrah.<\/p>\n

A member of the Public Accounts Committee and Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso on Wednesday 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.<\/p>\n

[contextly_sidebar id=”mQChEgNkK3kvBG1u5dRFJpfGTtNQzej2″]But Speaking to Citi News<\/strong>\u2019 Franklin Badu Jnr, Ms Emelia Arthur said the funds were used for its intended purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 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\u2019t going to be in office for further deductions to take place, it stopped at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said out of number six were fully completed, some of which were commissioned adding that \u201cfive were nearly done, because they are usable and habitable and left with were left with only some small touches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emelia Arthur explained that as at the time they were leaving office, \u201call we need to finish everything was about GHc124, 000 to finish the other five of the 11 except Ho that was at foundation level.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also insisted that the followed due process in putting up the CHPS compounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former presidential staffer added that in all a total of about GHc2, 200,000 was transferred to the contract for the CHPS projects.<\/p>\n

Chief of Staff recalls 10% cut<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Speaking before Parliament\u2019s Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday on the non-disclosure \u00a0of the funds, the Deputy Controller and Accountant General, Kwasi Owusu, said the money was recalled<\/strong><\/a><\/span> by the Chief of Staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 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\u2019t see anything at all because the money was not meant for government.\u201d<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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