State Housing Co. Collapsing

... Under Weight of Mismanagement, Corruption

Chronicle has put the beleaguered and strapped State Housing Company (SHC) under scrutiny for managerial malfeasance. From financial mismanagement through the abuse of company resources to intimidations, Managing Director (MD) Sarpong Mensah Anthony is currently running the company unilaterally.

The company owes contractors to the tune of ?1.8billion, Chronicle gathered. By the close of last week, the company could not provide weekly fuel of three gallons for senior staff. Originally the weekly fuel allocation to senior staff was 10 gallons but it was later reduced to eight by the previous management. The current management further slashed it to three.

But in a period of 17 months, two brand new expensive vehicles have been acquired for the comfort of the MD of a company currently encountering financial difficulties.

A Toyota Condor 4x4 with registration number GR 9410 S which cost ?208,819,500.00 (US$24,567.00) was bought early September 2001 and before 12noon Thursday February 20, this year a Toyota Landcruiser with registration number GT 1574 U costing about ?430million (US$50,487.00), had arrived.

And two top members of the company, in the persons of Messers Ben Mensah and John Aidoo, deputy Managing Director (DMD) and SHC solicitor/board secretary respectively, when contacted, provided two different explanations for the acquisition of the two vehicles.

Before he asked for a written questionnaire from Chronicle, company lawyer John Aidoo said the Toyota Condor 4X4 was first bought for Mr. Sarpong Mensah Anthony when he was the Accra area director and that the Landcruiser has been purchased subsequent to his elevation to the position of MD.

This was in reaction to the question whether the company's board of directors, to which he is the secretary, knew something about the purchase of the new car.

Company lawyer John Aidoo's answer contradicts our confirmed information that the two vehicles were acquired after he became the MD of SHC and that he brought his official vehicle from Kumasi when he became the head of Accra Zone.

Mr. Ben Mensah also had this to say, "as part of the company's long term project, management decided to increase company general pool, the Condor was acquired and anybody could use it. Even the MD rarely used that car. Now that we have bought this Landcruiser solely for the MD, we are going to give it to one of the directors".

Chronicle can confirm that the administrative director, Henry Y. Aidoo, has for more than one year, deserted his allocated bungalow and the family at Dansoman, Accra, and lives in the SHC guest house at North Kaneshie, Accra, for free. Henry Aidoo reportedly draws 22-25 gallons of fuel every week.

Official reaction to Mr. Aidoo, having abandoned his official bungalow was that he had a problem with his wife so management resolved to find him a place and that they were trying to solve the problem so that he could go back.

A Toyota Costa bus costing ?524million had also been acquired only to fetch staff to the company canteen at North Kaneshie, Accra, during lunch. Majority of staff Chronicle talked to were not in favour of the acquisition of the bus in the face of the company's financial predicaments. "The MD said at a management meeting that it cost ?524million, and this is too cosmetic," said one staff the paper talked to. Their problem with the bus was that it was under utilized.

Another concern they raised about the acquisition of the bus was that the cost was too high. Chronicle investigations at 'Ghamot' showed that the Toyota Costa bus cost US$62,000.00. At the time of the purchase, the dollar rate was ?7000.00 to a dollar. Therefore the vehicle could cost about ?435mollion and not the management's quoted figure of ?524million.

On the issue of intimidations, the paper gathered that Mr. Sylvester L. Attram, accountant/computer specialist, with ten years experience, had been transferred to Ho, Volta Region, to collect rents. Atram's transfer continues to cost the company dearly for he time and again comes to the head office to work on the computers. He prepared the company's annual budget this year.

And the company pays his transportation, night allowances and other expenses anytime he travels to Accra on such missions, something the company could have avoided, if he had not been transferred.

"The man who was brought from Takoradi to replace him is good at accounting with little or no knowledge in computing. Attram is most of the time in Accra to work on our computers and such arrangements cost the company" said one staff.

Management reacted to this information with the claim that Attram was invited once to head office to work on the computers and that it was not correct that he comes often to Accra.

Mrs. Dina Amoako Koranteng, who, as far back as 1992, was communicated to by the then board of directors to act as director of estates had been demoted to estate manager after her 10-month leave which was sanctioned by the MD.

"At the moment I am virtually underemployed in spite of all my professional skills and experience and I receive my salary, live in company bungalow and enjoy other utilities for free".

When Sarpong Mensah was transferred from Kumasi to Greater Accra as area director, he took along with him, the official vehicle he was using in Kumasi contrary to company rules and regulations but disallowed another staff who was transferred from Takoradi to the north to take his vehicle along. The irony is that a vehicle befitting an area director cannot be found in the north.

Another victim is Mr. Asare Bediako former director for property. He has been demoted from director to manager with his property unit dissolved. Meanwhile Benedicta Antwi who worked under Bediako and had been with the SHC for only four years had been posted to Kumasi to head estate division.

* What happened to the SHC's 198 building plots that were sold in Kumasi?

* What were the findings of the Serious Fraud Office?

* Under whose administration did company cheques allegedly get missing and monies stolen?

* Who were the officers working in key positions during that time? * Chronicle would let you know.