Story: Muntalla Inusah
THE CONTROLLER and Accountant General?s Department has confirmed to the Commission of Enquiry Investigating judgment debts incurred by the state that the department was the originator of the Drill Ship Account at the Ghana International Bank, but, it is yet to ascertain the authority that issued the command for the account.
The Acting Controller and Accountant General, Grace Adzroe, made this known when she appeared before the commission chaired by Justice Yaw Apau yesterday. She explained that the department is yet to lay hands on the bank statements and other transactions that it was involved in and requested for a week to furnish the commission with the details.
She told the commission that the Drill Ship Account was opened on July 26, 2001 upon a request it received from their accredited representative with the Ghana High Commission in London, saying, ?The staff who authored the letter was a staff of the Controller and Accountant General?s Department representing the department at the Ghana High Commission at that time.?
The Acting controller intimated that, the Drill Ship Account ceased operation in December 2005, five years after it had been opened. ?We requested for the closure in December 2005, by our treasury officer in London. The account was a government account.?
When asked by counsel of the commission, Kofi Dometi Sokpor, how much was left during the closure of the account, she answered that, before the closure, a balance of ?1, 008 was left and by their records, it went to another account at the Ghana International Bank (0001191610).
When quizzed by counsel where her source of authority to open the account came from, she replied, ?I do have the letter here requesting the account to be opened at the Ghana International Bank and I am yet to know the exact authority that issued the directive.?
Mrs. Adzroe assured the commission that the department will confirm the signatories together with the bank statements of the account and all transactions that they have done.
She confirmed to the commission the payment of an amount of $250, 000 to Aquatic Engineering Construction Limited. ?We had the authority of the treasury officer to instruct Ghana International Bank to transfer the said money.?
Also, the Ghana Police Service and the counsel of 17 police personnel who were reinstated for wrongful dismissal but refused their entitlement have agreed to settle the matter amicably.
It would be recalled that, the Daily Heritage?s Tuesday November 5, edition under the caption ?Ghana Police Account in Trouble? made allusion to the fact that the account of the Ghana Police Service is on the brink of being garnisheed since counsel for 17 police personnel who were reinstated by the service in 2010 for wrongful dismissal in 2007, had still not been given their entitlement as promised them and are considering going back to court for action to garnishee the police account.
The legal officer of the police legal directorate, Anthony K. Kokroko, said the police did not factor their arrears into their budget. According to him, the arrears of the affected personnel have not been computed and that they will do that with counsel of the affected persons.
Source:?Daily Heritage
