Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Friday, February 12, 2016
The ruling National Democratic
Congress (NDC) accountant who was fired recently by the party has revealed that
the party paid huge sums of money to the Electoral Commission (EC).
According to Mathias Mokono
Wilson, who claims to have worked with the party as accountant for 23 years, a
total amount of GH¢5.544,630 was withdrawn through him and the General
Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, on behalf of the EC.
Interesting Revelation
“Myself and Asiedu Nketia went
to the bank and withdrew money on behalf of the EC,” the beleaguered accountant
told Citi Fm in Accra on Wednesday.
On February 10, 2016 Mr Wilson filed
a suit at the Labour Division of the Accra High Court through his solicitors
from Azinyo Chambers against the NDC for unlawful dismissal, claiming that the
party gave him only a week’s notice to leave the party’s head office at
Adabraka, Accra, instead of the mandatory three months.
He said that he was protesting
the one-week ultimatum given him because “there are a lot of cheques drawn on
behalf of the EC which I don’t have the receipts.” He added, “I can’t resign
like that. I have to collect all the receipts, prepare everything and give out
my resignation letter but they are asking me to go.”
Mathias Mokono Wilson noted: “If
I go, they will tell me that I have embezzled money. They used me as a
scapegoat. When I finished issuing the cheques then they fired me.”
Cheque Details
Giving details of the payments
to the EC, the accountant said there were different cheques he withdrew
together with Mr Asiedu Nketia on different dates at Societe Generale, Accra
Main, on behalf of the EC, although he admitted that “I am not a signatory to
the NDC account.
“The first cheque was GH¢630,000;
the second cheque was GH¢357,000; the third cheque was GH¢2 million, then
followed by GH¢2.199, 340, then followed by GH¢69,315, GH¢54,975, GH¢140,000
and GH¢100,000, totalling GH¢5.544,630.”
Court Action
Apart from the party and its General Secretary, the
plaintiff has also sued Vida Addae, Deputy Treasurer; Samuel Ofosu Ampofo,
Director of Elections; Dr Karl Mark-Arhin; Mahdi Gibril; Emmanuel S. Zumakpe,
Director of Administration, and six others for the said wrongful dismissal.
He wants damages for loss of leave for 23 years and loss
of gross salary at GH¢3,574.50 per month, multiplied by three months in lieu of
notice.
The plaintiff states that his salary of GH¢3,574.50 x 23
years x 2 will amount to GH¢164,427.00, plus the pay for 3 months - which is
GH¢3,574.50 x 3 - bringing his entire loss incomes to GH¢175,150.50, excluding
his leave allowance for the 23 years.
Statement of
Claim
The plaintiff, in his statement
of claim, said he had been employed at the NDC headquarters since October 27,
1993 and had served the party dutifully as an accountant.
As part of his contract of engagement, the plaintiff
said he was in-charge of receipts of payments for all financial transactions including
petty cash operations, and kept “all books up to final accounts stage,
including the preparation of quarterly financial statements.”
He also said he conducted all aspects of banking treasury
functions, financial aspects of stores function, preparation and payment of monthly
salaries, SSFC and PAYE as well as accounting for the financial returns from
the regional and constituency offices.
Signed Cheques
Mr Wilson averred that in the course of his employment, Mr
Asiedu Nketia aka General Mosquito and Kofi Adams, current Deputy General
Secretary, signed the cheques every time and he (Asiedu Nketia) accompanied him
to Societe Generale Ghana, Accra Main, to withdraw moneys from a particular account.
Sale of Forms
“When it comes to the sale of political nomination forms
- both presidential and parliamentary - the 1st Defendant (NDC) made
it mandatory for the forms to be sealed by the Plaintiff and the late WO I
Jacob Mensah Bonney. However, for the first time in the 23 years of service to
the party, Mahdi Gibril, the 6th Defendant, breached the rules and
sent all the nomination forms to the regions without the requisite seal.
“Sixty percent of the sale proceeds [which was] supposed
to go to the constituency offices did not go and 20%, which was supposed to go
to the regional NDC offices and the remaining 20% which was for the national
office, the 2nd to 7th Defendants refused to pay to the
appropriate coffers, alleging that the sale proceed of GH¢5,544,630.00 was to
be paid to the Electoral Commission,” Wilson revealed.
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