Fraud At National Lotteries

The Department of National Lotteries (DNL), one of Ghana’s major revenue generating agencies is seriously mired in maladministration and fraudulent transactions.

In the course of investigations into the activities and administration, the ''Crusading Guide'' says it chanced upon a summary of Audit Report which revealed that the amount spent so far on the construction of its (DNL’s) new office block has risen from ?5.4 billion to ?31.675 billion as at December 31, 2002.

It is estimated that the total cost of building ''Fortune House'' - on completion in December 2003, will be ?50 billion. The decision to put up the 5-storey building was taken in 1995 and was expected to be completed within 27 months but this had not yet materialized.

Accounting for the astronomical increase in the cost of Fortune House was the uncompetitiveness in the selection of the main consultants. They were said to have been handpicked by the former Director of DNL, Col Martin Gbikpi. This, according to the report resulted in collusion and misappropriation of funds.

Contract fees were fraudulently inflated in the guise of ''fluctuation claims'' and in some cases payments were made on contracts that had not been signed.

Regarding the maladministration, the Report indicated that the Department had been taking important decisions in the disbursement of large sums of money without reference to the Ministry of Finance.