SFO freezes accounts, 30 scholarship beneficiaries stranded

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO), now Economic and Organized Crime Office, has since March this year, frozen the bank accounts of the Tema Traditional Council (TTC) pending the outcome of investigations into the activities of the Council.

The action follows a petition to the SFO by a rival chief of Tema, who wants annuity from the Lands Commission to be paid to him to enable him to build a palace.

As a result of the action, 30 orphans and needy students being sponsored by the TTC under its Education Foundation have not had their fees for the semester paid.

Additionally, a project involving the construction of stores being undertaken by the TTC at Tema Manhean Lorry Park is stalled.

A source close to the TTC said two students pursuing Medicine in Ukraine are also stranded and risk abandoning their programme because the freezing of the accounts has not made it possible to forward their scholarship payments to their institution.

The source said that a final year student at the Valley View University and a Human Resource level 300 student of the Central University College may not be able to write their examinations next week because they have not been able to pay their fees.

A single parent at Tema Manhean, Kaa Mansah, whose child, a polytechnic student is a beneficiary of the sponsorship scheme has expressed worry at the delay in releasing the scholarship. She has appealed to the president to intervene so that their children's education will not be affected.

Mr. Seth Ago Adjetey, Coordinator of the TTC confirming the story on Friday said, in a letter dated March 2, and signed by its Executive Director, that the SFO froze the TTC bank and financial assets in pursuant to section – 13(19) of the Serious Fraud Office Act 1993, ACT 466.

Accordingly the TTC cannot access any funds in the account or dispose of any assets without the consent of the SFO, he told the Times.

Mr. Adjetey said after many years of unpaid annuity to the chiefs and people of Tema over the acquisition of their land for the harbour communities and industries, the TTC petitioned the Lands Commission through the Chieftaincy Minister in June 2007.

He said the minister's intervention helped to correct the anomaly and the grant that was given the Tema Stool was lodged into the Tema Education Fund established in 2002 to assist in the education of sons and daughters of the land.

He said over 120 students have benefitted from the scholarship scheme so far, by way of their tuition, accommodation among other benefits.