Appiah-Ampofo found guilty over $96,500 kickback!

Accra (Greater Accra) 09 April 2002 - Last Friday, 5 April, Mr Samuel Appiah-Ampofo, former National Insurance Commissioner, was pronounced guilty by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for collecting over US$96,500 kickbacks from Aon, an insurance company.

Giving the ruling in the presence of the Editor-in-Chief of The Crusading Guide, Mr Kweku Baako Jnr., Appiah-Ampofo, his lawyer and wife, CHRAJ vindicated The Crusading Guide for all the publications of acts of corruption against him (Appiah-Ampofo).

Following a series of publications by this paper in respect of alleged malfeasance by Appiah-Ampofo, it (paper) petitioned CHRAJ to investigate the allegations and bring him to book. After the Commission had swung into action, it invited both parties- Baako (representing this paper) and Appiah-Ampofo- for hearing of the case over a period of time which terminated in the verdict last Friday.

In the 25-31 January 2001 edition of the paper, it was intimated that the former Insurance Commissioner had succeeded in replacing the former insurance brokers of Ghana Airways, Bowring (aka Marsh Ltd) with another insurance company called Aon. The story had stated further that based on a deal between the new company and Appiah-Ampofo, an amount of US$96,500 was paid to him as commission between 1995 and 1998.

A document attached to a letter written to the then Chief Executive of Ghana Airways, Mr E.L. Quartey (now resigned) dated 4 January, 2001, and signed by one Mr Garrick R. Hitchen on behalf of Marsh, had maintained that one Mr. Edward Grant Whytock, a broker working as a Consultant to the Aviation division of Nicholson Leslie Ltd – now part of the Aon Group Ltd – met the former Insurance Commissioner in London in 1985.

It alleged that, “further to discussions, it was agreed that in the event that the Commissioner was able to assist in the introduction of new business to Nicholson Leslie, he would be remunerated by the company with a share of the resulting commission”.

Appiah-Ampofo however, refuted these and other allegations in an interview with this reporter. Obviously incensed by the denial, another source vehemently challenged the former National Insurance Commissioner (then substantive Insurance boss) saying, “Mr Commissioner should address the US$96,500 bribery scandal and stop beating around the bush”.

The source revealed that Appiah-Ampofo organised a meeting on 2 May, 1995 at his Marble House Conference room among he NIC, Ghanair, SIC and Ghana-Re to discuss alleged complaints by Ghanair on their insurance placements.

According to an insurance executive who was present at the meeting, “it was evidently clear that the Insurance Commissioner had taken an extremely entrenched position in the issue of replacing Ghanair’s insurance brokers”. Details of last Friday’s judgement will be published in the Thursday edition. – The Crusading Guide