MORE LOOTING UNCOVERED

Seth Terkper - Minister of Finance & Economic Planning

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday March 22, 2013.

It has emerged that a whopping GH¢104,096,516.92 was released to the various ministries without sufficient documentation in 2011.

In a series of investigations into the mode of utilization of the Consolidated Fund (CF), CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE learnt how these ministries contravened Regulation 39 (2c) of the Financial Administration Regulation (FAR), 2004 (LI 1802) with impunity.

Sources say the trend of milking the CF in a fashion that suggests plunder is even widespread in the yet to be completed 2012 Auditor-General’s Report.

In the 2011 report, a table of content gives details of the date, release, account transfer, account receipt and the amount of payments in the form of direct debit to unnamed accounts that are not covered with relevant supporting document.

On September 6, an amount of GH¢1,503,200.00 was transferred to account 0240019194401 at Stanbic from Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning sub CF under the release code B159/1/11/Jd/GCD2.

On October 20, GH¢403,474.84 was transferred to 0100164001200 at SCB from Gov’t Machinery account under the release code B.05/Q1/2011/OP/FB/Vol.11, as well as an amount of GH¢201,175.23 released into the same account from Ministry of Defence sub CF with a release code B.05/Q3/2011/MOD/FB/Vol.1.

An amount of GH¢ 570.000.00 was transferred into 1000100954401 at NIB from MOFEP sub CF under the code B159/1/11/BS.4 on October 10 while another GH¢ 9,084,375.00 was transferred into account 1011130028863 at GCB from Ministry of Mines account 0121360066001 under the release code B.05/MOE/ECG/2011 on October 18.

A whopping GH¢38,119,023.95 was transferred into 2209014946 SCB London in the name of the Ministry of Youth and Sports under the reference code B159/1/11/JD/11 and on April 4, an amount of GH¢1,140,000.00  with reference code B159/1/11/BS.4 was transferred from MOFEP sub CF account into 1000100954401 NIB.

On June 14, an amount of GH¢6,316,515.18 was transferred from the Ministry of Mines account 0121360066001 under the release code B.05/MOEn/TOR/BBG/011/2 to 0120730001000 lodged at the Bank of Ghana while another transfer on November 5, an amount of GH¢111,098.51 was transferred into 0100164001200 SCB account from Gov’t Machinery account with reference code B50/Q/2011/OP/FB/VOL3.

Another GH¢13,650,000.00 was transferred into 0121360079001 from Ministry of Works & Housing sub CF with reference code B.150/4/2011/MWRWH/C on March 24 and another GH¢ 116,747.63 was transferred to 0100164001200 at SCB from an unidentified account 012136018001 with reference code B50/q/2011/OP/FB/VOL3 on July 4.

On March 21, an amount of GH¢181,832.54 was transferred into 0100164001200 at SCB from the Gov’t Machinery with B50/Q1/2011/OP/FB/VOL.2 as the reference code while on December 4, Ministry of Youth and Sports account transferred GH¢10,584,295.00 to Barclays Bank account 65534866.

Ministry of the Interior sub account with reference B50/Q1/2011/OP/FB/VOL.4 transferred GH¢344,614.50 to 1171130013514 at GCB on July 4 and another GH¢972,450.00 and GH¢ 504,900.00 with reference codes B50/Q1/2011/OP/FB/VOL.3 and B50/Q1/2011/OP/FB/VOL.2 into the same account on February 2 and February 22.

On February 16, Ministry of Transport sub CF account transferred GH¢149,500.00 into 0481204534 at Barclays Bank under reference code B.735/MOT/11/1 while on February 14, MOFEP sub CF account transferred GH¢5,130,000.00 into 1000100954401 at NIB with B.159/1/11/BS as the reference code.

Furthermore, on November 2, an amount of GH¢4,409,636.84 from the Ministry of Mines account 0121360066001 was transferred into 01200730001000 at the Bank of Ghana with B.05/MOEn/TOR/BBG/011/1 as the reference code while on February 14, an amount of GH¢ 3,809,717.18 from the Controller and Accountant-General’s sub CF was transferred into 106100430026 at ADB with the B.159/1/11/CAGD/.

On September 2, the Office of Gov’t Machinery again transferred GH¢685, 217.23 into 0100164001200 SCB with B.50/1Q/2011/OP/FB/VOL.1 while MOFEP sub account transferred GH¢107,173.27 into 10265683 at Citibank London with reference code B159/1/09/MOFEP/INT.3.

Finally, on April 2, an amount of GH¢5,050,000.02 with reference code B.159/1/11/JD.20 was transferred from MOFEP sub CF into 65534866 at Barclays Bank while on January 31 the Ministry of the Interior sub account transferred GH¢951,570.00 to 1171130013514 at GCB with B50/Q1/OP/FB/VOL.1 as the reference code.

The report said unlike the sub-CF account payments which are supported by sufficient documentation, documents attached to direct debit payments by the Controller and Accountant-General were mostly inadequate.