More Confusion Rocks GBC

Uneasy calm and finger pointing have hit some top managers of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) over an alleged leakage of pejorative reports about its Director-General (DG), William Ampem-Darko, to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to serve as platform for his prosecution.

Though a recent damning report about Mr. Ampem-Darko dated March 16, 2010 had the name and signature of the Board chairman of the corporation, Prof. John Bright Kobla Aheto, a reported denial of making a complaint to the SFO by the board chairman during a crunch meeting with the National Media Commission has caused a stir at the nation’s premier electronic media house.

Some bosses of GBC have been strongly suspected by a few staff members believed to have strong allegiance to Mr. Ampem-Darko of deliberately leaking information about the DG to the SFO. This act is seen to be aimed at aiding the process of pushing him out to make way for their preferred one.

They contend that two top bosses and their friends who regularly meet at the GBC Club House could be responsible for feeding the SFO with information about the DG to ensure he is booted out. “This is causing agitations and confusion here; why are people back-biting each other like that?” a staff member asked.

A report of mismanagement and gross misbehavior against Mr. Ampem-Darko and signed by the Board chairman alleges that the DG has flouted GBC’s corporate framework of responsibility and accountability guidelines that have governed, since 2005, the purchase of items for the corporation.

The report notes that a number of items ranging from Voltic and Everpure mineral water to vehicles were procured, “not monitored, without details on justification, cost benefit analyses and payment schedules under the administration of Mr. Ampem-Darko.

“What is worse, the DG continues to procure items for the corporation regardless of the setting up of the Entity Tender Committee by the board in accordance with the Public Procurement Act 2003, Act 663.

He has consistently flouted the Act, thus exceeding his authorized limits as head of entity: GH¢5,000.00 for goods, technical consultancy services respectively and GH¢10,000.00 for works,” the Board chairman stated.

Mr. Ampem-Darko was further accused of engaging in parallel and duplicate employment without the approval of the board: “the decision to engage in parallel and duplicate employment of staff did not receive the prior approval of the then Board. Most contract staff are paid more than permanent staff.

This case is highly unacceptable to the Board. All the contract staffers have long exceeded their five month contract employment and some have been in employment for more than two years.”

The Board, in addition, slammed Mr. Ampem-Darko for authorizing the payment of legal fees of GH¢35,000.00 for Mr. Louis Darko, the Divisional Union Chairman of the Public Services Workers Union of the Trades Unions Congress, in a personal action brought against him by Ms Eva Lokko, former DG to GBC, contrary to Board decision at a meeting held in September 12, 2007.

But loyalists of the DG insists that the payment of the legal fees was right and proper since Mr. Louis Darko have always acted in his capacity as the union chairman of GBC and not as an individual. Following these and other allegations against Mr. Ampem-Darko, the Board recommended the termination of his appointment. The SFO early this month also called for his immediate interdiction and that of three others to pave the way for investigations into the alleged financial impropriety at GBC.

The SFO’s investigations covered five issues namely: Causing Financial loss to the state to the tune of £24,516.65, a Euro 230,000.00 agreement between Optima Sports Management International and GBC and circumstances leading to the litigation between the two.

The rest were the abuse of the use of barter system to procure goods and services for GBC, the payment of 20% commission on the collection of GH¢857,115.80 from the CAN 2008 Local Organizing Committee as well as the construction of GH¢164,059.88 GBC clinic.