EOCO summons 30 teachers over GH¢100,000 fraud

Over 30 teachers from the Offinso North District Education Directorate have been invited by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) as part of the ongoing investigations for possible corrupt practices by the District Director, Francis Akumbuno Abiro.

The embattled Education Director is under investigations for taking “unearned salaries” of some Untrained Teacher Development for Basic Education (UTDBE) teachers in the Offinso North District amounting to over GH¢100,000.

He has since been interdicted by the Ghana Education Service (GES) with the Ashanti Regional Director, Kofi Sarfo Kantanka, charged to exercise oversight responsibility pending the outcome of the investigations.

More than 100 teachers are said to have fallen prey to the scheme which began somewhere in 2011 when Mr. Akumbuno Abiro took office.

In 2012, the Internal Audit Unit of the Regional Education Office found a total of GH¢55,638.70 as “unearned salaries” involving 18 teachers after it investigated complaints of deduction from teachers’ salary arrears by the District Directorate.

The internal auditors discovered discrepancies in appointment letters and assumption of duties which resulted in the unearned salaries of the GH¢55, 638.70.

The audit team noted with concern that the affected teachers were not allowed to assume duties on time despite the fact that their appointment letters were to take effect from May 1, 2011.

It said Mr. Akumbuno told the team he did not allow the teachers to resume immediate duties in order to avoid pressure that comes on the directorate as a result of delay for salaries of such teachers.

Recommendations by the former Ashanti Regional Director of Education, J. K. Onyinah, per the audit report for the embattled District Director to do away with the ‘scheme’ fell on deaf ears, thereby preying many teachers till EOCO stepped in, following complaints to its office in Kumasi.

The suspended Education Director was also accused of victimizing some teachers and staff of the directorate through the use of capricious transfers and refused to revert three of such transfers involving Maxwell Dankwa, Emmanuel Osei Anane and Agnes Asorh of Bosomposo, Sraneso No.2 and Sewua-Mfante D/A Primary Schools.

Investigations by the audit team revealed that the threesome led agitation against Mr. Akumbuno for deductions of their salary arrears.

EOCO was also looking into whether Mr. Akumbuno Abiro diverted books meant for the schools in the district to his private school at Tuabodom near Techiman in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

It has emerged that he and the District Accountant, Peter Sulemana Alhassan, in a scheme, duped the nation to the tune of over GH¢100,000 after bloating staff list with ghost names and perverting salaries of more than 100 teachers.