Opoku Amankwah Not Cleared – EOCO

The Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO) says it has not cleared the Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission in charge of Corporate Services, Georgina Opoku Amankwah of any wrongdoing, contrary to media reports.

Georgina Opoku Amankwah is being investigated over the controversial GH¢480,000 alleged to have disappeared from the EC’s Senior Staff Endowment Fund.

According to the EOCO, no such clearance has been issued to any of the officers of the Commission who are currently on leave over the investigations.

In July last year, Ms. Opoku-Amankwaah, Mr Kwaku Owusu Agyei-Larbi, Chief Accountant and Finance Officer, Dr. Joseph Asamoah, were asked to proceed on leave over a reported missing GH¢480,000 from the Fund.

EOCO’s resolve to put the raging controversy in perspective comes barely a day after media reports suggested Georgina Opoku Amankwah had been cleared of any wrongdoing.

The reports, among others,  claimed that

“However, the EOCO officers said they were still investigating the alleged misappropriation of the EC’s Endowment Funds, even though at that time the investigation was said to be over.”

It alleged: “Even though no adverse findings were made against them, the EC chairperson was said to be manipulating the EOCO” claiming that “Ms Osei is said to have indicated that she was not ready to work with any of her deputies, as well as the finance director.”

EOCO

Meanwhile, EOCO in a statement issued in Accra yesterday said it has not cleared Georgina Opoku Amankwah of any wrongdoing.

“We wish to emphatically and categorically state that no such clearance has been issued to any of the Officers of the Electoral Commission who are on leave.

EOCO also stated that “…the attribution that ‘EC Chairperson is said to be manipulating EOCO’ is blatant falsehood and needs to be condemned. The general public is invited to disregard the said publication.”

Stand-Off

Madam Amankwah forcibly resumed duty last week after meeting with EOCO officials, agreeing on a 14-day ultimatum by which time she wants the EOCO report on her to be ready. and her lawyer

She has vowed to return to work if she does not receive any response from EOCO.

This ultimatum was agreed upon after officials of the investigative body stormed her office to prevent her from occupying it.

Background

In September 2017, EOCO confirmed that the money which went missing from the Electoral Commission (EC)’s Endowment Fund did not end up in the accounts of the officials of the EC under investigation.

Some staff members of the EC petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo in July 2017, to remove Mrs. Osei from office over allegations of fraud and financial malfeasance as well as abuse of office.

Some of the allegations involved the unilateral award of contracts by the EC boss in the run-up to the 2016 general election.

The unnamed EC staff members are being represented by Lawyer Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, against Mrs. Osei.

The petition against her, alleged among others the funneling of GH¢3.9 million to partition an office, the receipt of a Toyota Land Cruiser from the Mahama government, and the use of about $14 million when the Public Procurement Authority had authorized her to use only $7.5 million.

Mrs. Osei also responded by making allegations of corruption against her deputies, claiming that she was only being hounded because she sought to introduce systems to curb misuse and mismanagement of resources.

Charlotte Osei among other claims, accused deputy Chairperson of the Commission of illegally signing contracts worth over GHC 40 million without her approval.

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson/ thePublisher