Pilfering At AMA ...One Staff Grabs 327m Cedis

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly's (AMA's) revenue collection department has been turned into a gold mine where individuals make quick money at the expense of the taxpayer.

Revenue running into billions of cedis meant for national development end up in private pockets whereas officials of the Assembly look on unconcerned, even in the face of open protests by some staff who are alarmed by the dubious transactions.

The computer section and the Accounts Department of the AMA are the two offices where officials milk the taxpayers' money, as though it is no one's business, Ghanaian Chronicle has learnt.

Chronicle is aware the accounts department and the computer section are trading accusations over the milking of the taxpayers' cash. Investigations indicate that companies that have paid their rent have not been credited officially and companies that registered within the last quarter of last year are yet to have their names entered into the computers of AMA. In fact, it takes several months and even years for registered companies to have their names on the Assembly's computers, even though these companies start paying revenues and rents upon registration with the assembly.

This means revenue and rents of companies that do not have their names on the assembly's computer end in private pockets since there would be nothing to show on the computers that they have paid or not. Even later when their names are finally entered onto the computers, they are not credited as should have been the situation.

Companies that owe the assembly easily have their names deleted from the list of companies under the arrears column after they have illegally paid some cash to their cronies in the computer department of the assembly.

For instance, the Ghanaian Chronicle gathered that a company owing the Assembly to the tune of about ?50 million could have its name deleted from the list of arrears for a fee of about ?5 million that ends up in individual pockets." Instead of arrears, they write paid, an insider confirmed during Chronicle's undercover on the premises of AMA in Accra. Ghanaian Chronicle learnt that the list of companies, institutions and shops in the metropolis is vast thereby making cross-checking problematic, especially in an institution like the AMA where officials leave their subordinates to have field day for all activities they deem fit.

When Ghanaian Chronicle called the public relations department of the AMA last Thursday afternoon for their official comment, it was realised that Elliot Adom, the head of the public relations department and spokesperson for the Assembly, was on leave. "Mr. Adom proceeded on leave beginning Monday", a voice answered the telephone call. When Ghanaian Chronicle asked to be linked to the head of the computer department for interrogation, the voice answered that he was the replacement for Adom but assumed the position only this week so did not know who the various heads of department were.

Ghanaian Chronicle also established the absence of the rule of law in operations of the Assembly to the extent that one Genevieve Nelson who worked at the treasury department was transferred last year after allegation that she swindled the Assembly of ?327 million. No investigation was conducted into the allegation, Chronicle was reliably informed. However, in a telephone interview Thursday afternoon, Mr. Elebulu, the metro treasurer said Genevieve Nelson did not misappropriate the cash as alleged but rather blamed the auditors for not completing their work before releasing such a sensitive information.

"The auditors did not do their work", Elebulu claimed. He explained that Miss Nelson received some dishonored cheques that included CIDEL revenue cheques from the local Government that were not honored at the central bank. He said Miss Nelson also received represerved cheques but could not retrieve the money from the central bank because the Bank of Ghana was trying to control cash flow into the system.

On why Nelson was transferred, Elebulu explained that she was on secondment from the Computer Accountant General's department and that it was the Accountant Generals office that transferred her and not the AMA. Rumours of ghost names on the AMA's pay sheet abound and one does not even have to strain his nerves before getting confirmation from some staff members.

This reporter who went to the accounts recovery department Tuesday afternoon incognito and under the guise of looking for someone he (the reporter) knew was absent at that time witnessed an informal meeting between personnel of the department that indicated indeed something was wrong. "How do we put those people in check", sounded a voice. "Which people?" asked another voice. "The people at the MIS (Computer Department), it is becoming too much". The conversation went on for about ten minutes.

During the conversation, staff in the Accounts Recovery Department observed that their illiteracy of Computer knowledge was used to the advantage of their colleagues in the Computer Department who easily turned things to their advantage. They also complained during the conversation that their colleagues in the Computer Department do not allow them access to the computers for fear of them discovering their illegalities