By William
Yaw Owusu
Friday January
12, 2018
The infighting that has rocked the Electoral
Commission (EC) is taking a new twist following the decision by one of the Deputy
Chairpersons on interdiction, Georgina Opoku Amankwaah - in charge of Corporate
Services at the commission - to resume work.
The latest development is likely to spark another
heated political debate over the manner in which the electoral body is being
managed.
DAILY
GUIDE understands that lawyers for Ms. Opoku Amakwaah had
asked their client to resume work in defiance of Economic and Organised Crime
Office’s (EOCO’s) directive that she stays out of work to allow investigations
into the alleged misappropriation of the commission’s Staff Endowment Fund.
In July last year, Ms. Opoku Amankwaah, together
with two EC officials - Kwaku Owusu Agyei-Larbi, Chief Accountant and Dr Joseph
Asamoah, a Finance Director - were asked to proceed on leave over a missing
GH¢480,000 from the Staff Endowment Fund, after the EC boss, Mrs. Charlotte
Osei, had asked EOCO to investigate the matter.
Main
Petition
Already, Mrs Charlotte Osei, together with her two
deputies - Georgina Opoku Amankwaah and
Alhaji Amadu Sulley, in-charge
of Operations - are being investigated by a five-member committee set up by the
Chief Justice, following petitions filed against them on allegations of abuse
of office and conflict of interest under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
Mrs. Charlotte Osei and Amadu Sulley are still at
post and have not been asked to step aside for the investigation to commence,
although Ms. Opoku Amankwaah is on suspension on the orders of the EC boss.
Warning
Notice
The lawyers of Ms. Opoku Amankwaah, led by K. A.
Asante Krobea, have reportedly written to the EOCO notifying the investigative
body that the deputy commissioner was resuming work, even though the EOCO has
said it was still investigating the alleged misappropriation of the Endowment
Fund, based on which she was suspended.
They insisted that with the setting up of the Chief
Justice’s committee to look into the abuse of office and conflict of interest
claims against the three EC bosses, the EOCO has no basis to insist that the
deputy EC chairperson should still stay at home.
The letter to the EOCO, dated January 2, 2018 with
the heading, ‘Endowment Fund Investigation Resumption of Official Duty Our
Client: Georgina Opoku Amankwaah (Ms), indicated that once the president had
not suspended the deputy EC chair based on Article 146 (10) of the 1992
Constitution, it was ‘proper and fair’ for her to resume work.
The lawyers had copied the Chief of Staff, Chief
Justice, Attorney General, Senior Minister and Chairman of the Council of State.
According to them, the position of a deputy commissioner
of the EC is akin to that of superior court judge; and their interdiction or
removal from office should follow the dictates of Article 146 of the
Constitution.
They claimed in the case of Ms. Opoku Amakwaah, none
of the terms and reference under Article 146 of the Constitution had been
evoked to warrant her interdiction; and they saw it as injustice.
The lawyers advised the deputy chairperson to ‘immediately’
resume work and dared anybody to stop her from working.
EOCO’s
Response
EOCO has reportedly confirmed receipt of the letter,
but said the case was still under investigation and advised the lawyers to let
their client stay out of work until the Attorney General advises on the report
that EOCO sent to her office.
The EOCO reportedly sent its response on January 8,
2018, saying, “Investigation is said to be complete when advice is received
from the Attorney General’s Department.
“Your client and others are not on leave because of
the petition before Her Ladyship, the Chief Justice. You will do your client
good service if you patiently wait for the advice from the Attorney General’s
Office. Let’s follow due process.”
Finance
Director
Already, a source has told DAILY GUIDE that the
Director of Finance, who was suspended alongside Mrs. Opoku Amankwaa, is also
fighting to come back to work, but was facing impediments at the commission.
This was after it had turned out from the corridors
of the EOCO that the anti-graft body appeared to have found nothing
incriminating against him.
However, Charlotte Osei has allegedly vowed never again
to work with Dr Asamoah - who reportedly challenged some of the contracts
awarded by her - and therefore the Finance Director’s fate continues to hang in
the balance.
Endowment
Fund
In July, a letter from the EOCO, which was signed by
ACP K.K. Amoah (rtd.), Acting Executive Director, indicated that it had taken
over the case, positing, “The suspects are assisting in investigations.”
In the letter dated July 4, 2017, and addressed to
the chairperson of the commission, EOCO said it was investigating “the loss of
about GH¢480,000 from the Endowment Fund at the Electoral Commission.
“The office would be grateful if you would direct
the officers listed above to proceed on leave whilst investigation proceeds.”
Pursuant to the EOCO letter, Ms Osei wrote to Mrs
Opoku-Amankwaah asking her to proceed on leave “immediately” and directed her
to “kindly forward any pending issues to the Office of the Chairperson.”
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