?old executives accuse current executives of corruption and abuse of power.
By Abubakari Seidu Ajarfor
Confusion rocks the National Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC), Alhaji Yaw Manu over mismanagement of office.
The out-going executives of the union have described the leadership style of the new executives as corrupt, fraudulent and abuse of office.
They are calling on the current executives to account for their stewardship now while the National Chariman, Alhaji Yaw Manu and cohorts must step down.
Mr. Kofi Aikins, a former National Chairman of GPRTU told the press that Alhaji Yaw Manu, Kwame Kumah, Benjamin Kwesi Ansah, Stephen K. Okudzeto, all executives of GPRTU and ex-part Theophilus Ankamah were indicted.
These men, executives of GPRTU were each convicted by a judge, Justice N.C.A. Agbevor, a Commercial High Court in Sekondi on Friday 8th June, 2012 for contempt.
Accordingly, the Judge sentenced each to a day?s imprisonment and a fine of GHC1000 in favour of the applicants.
This, according to Kofi Aikins, the executives must step down because article 13 (h) of the union?s constitution stipulates that ?any member who has been convicted on a criminal offence shall be disqualified from contesting elections.?
It further states that ?if the fact of criminality is established after election, such person(s) shall automatically be removed from office and a report made to the appropriate level of authority?
?Apart from being ex-convicts, there were other issues amounting to violation of the constitution of the union,? he noted.
Mr. Aikins added that these executives whom he addresses as ex-convicts opened new branches in some of the regions without the recommendations and approval of the regional secretariat.He explained that National secretariat coordinates the activities of all the regions, regions coordinates activities of all the branches and branches of that of local.
So National Secretariat cannot surpass the region and engage the branches in any activity otherwise considered as violation of the constitution.
He noted that GHC54,000 was collected from union members in one of the region as deposit for buses, the buses arrived and yet nobody was given neither buses nor the monies back.
According to Mr. Aikins, ?they? just discovered? last week ?that these ex-convicts has secretly managed to register GPRTU of TUC as a limited liability company without approval of the union members.
?We have nothing personal against them, this is about corruption, abuse of office and fraud,? he stated.
Anytime anybody tries to question some of the decisions of the current management, they end up being suspended without due process contrary to the provisions under article 23(c).
Which stipulates that suspension of officers should not be carried out on mere allegations. Preliminary investigations must be conducted into the allegations for facts to be established before the accused officer is suspended. Then an Interim Management Committee (IMC) shall be established where the GPRTU boss shall act as the chairman of the committee, a clear conflict of interest.
Mr. Aikins had it that in 2009, 100 Yutong ?buses donated by ADB Bank ?to union members to be distributed across all the ten regions however,the GPRTU boss and his executives took junk part of the new buses including his son who is not a member of the union.
The document had it recorded that the GPRTU boss took five buses, his son acquired 3 buses, including his executives which is against the constitution that under no account can one person take 5 buses alone.
According to them, the GPRTU boss has succeeded in circumventing the union constitution just to promote for his personal gains.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman, Alhaji Yaw Manu and his executives, in an interview with the Punch at their office, denied all the allegations, suspecting that they were deliberate gimmicks by the old executives to get him out of office.
According to Aikins, a former National Chairman, indicated that the union even owes five banks and at the interim they shall soon come out with all the details and documents after they have established their deep investigations.
