Wednesday, 7 June 2017

MASSIVE ROT UNCOVERED AT THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AGENCY (YEA) - HOW GHANA WAS RAPED

BREAKING NEWS

MASSIVE ROT UNCOVERED AT THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AGENCY (YEA) - HOW GHANA WAS RAPED

The new Management of YEA under the acting CEO, Mr. Justin Kodua Frimpong has uncovered what would go in history as arguably the worst scandal the Agency has witnessed involving some GHc 52.8 million or 580 billion old cedis of the taxpayers' money which would have gone into wrong hands if his outfit had not intervened to save the situation.

There were also multitudes of gross impropriety, acts of criminality and maladministration that were uncovered. The acting CEO of the Agency made these mind-boggling revelations when he addressed a Press Conference on Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at the Ministry of Information conference room in Accra.

The new Management, he said, arrived at these findings through a physical verification exercise conducted by the Agency's Monitoring and Evaluation Unit as well as the work of the Internal Audit Agency, which was commissioned by Management to conduct a special audit into the operations of the Agency.

In all, it was discovered that there were 42,794 beneficiaries with various improprieties who were nonetheless, being paid by the Agency without any legitimate basis. In other words, the Ghanaian taxpayer, over the period, was burdened with the payment of money to people, numbering over 42,000, who did not deserve a penny from us. This is the breakdown of the figure:

- 2,716 beneficiaries did not have appointment letters but were being paid

- 9,442 beneficiaries were above the age requirement but were being paid

- 4, 681 beneficiaries have vacated post but were being paid

- 11,512 beneficiaries were without assumption of duty letters but were being paid

- 14,443 beneficiaries did not exist at all but payment was effected in their names

All of these people were receiving monthly allowance from the Youth Employment Agency and for that matter the Ghanaian taxpayer. The auditing exercise also revealed the following discrepancies:

- Funds meant for official use were being paid to personal accounts

- Procurements were done without recourse to due process

- No supporting documents for some payments effected in the name of the Agency

- District directors conniving with some beneficiaries to partake in the physical verification exercise, knowing very well that these beneficiaries were not at post

- Some appointment letters were purportedly singed by the Acting CEO when same was not the case. The date on which those signings were done, Justine Kodua had not even been appointed. Clearly, his signature was forged and backdated to allow people take money illegally.

- Some appointment letters were issued bearing the signature of the outgone CEO between March and April 2017, at which time, he was not in office.

Aside the issue of fraud and criminality, which would be handled by EOCO and the BNI according to the Acting Director, the net effect of these improprieties is that, the Ghanaian taxpayer would have paid as much as GHc52.8 million or 520 billion old cedis but for the steps undertaken by the new Management. This money is bigger than the amount paid to the infamous Alfred Agbesi Woyome (GHc 51 million).

It is also bigger than the 2017 budgetary allocation to some three Ministries. But that is how much we would have wasted on some criminal elements in our society. Characteristically, I won't romanticize with words and call this corruption or indiscretion or impropriety. This is a clear case of daylight thievery, criminality and a raid on the Ghanaian purse.

And if these enemies of State are being prosecuted and you describe the action as political witch-hunting, then my brother, you are worse than the notorious murderers of the legendary captain Mahama. You don't deserve to call yourself a citizen of Ghana.

All in all, you would agree with me that the new Management has done a yeoman's job. And so, I doff my hat for the acting CEO, Justin Kodua Frimpong and his two deputies including my elder brother, Ibrahim Bashiru and Miss Lydia Atiemo for this great service to country. They have vindicated the ginormous confidence reposed in them by His Excellency President Nana Akufo-Addo and I’m proud of them. Change has indeed come. Long live my motherland.

Assalamu alaikum

Iddi Muhayu-Deen

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