"Vanished" Cars Retrieved

Four vehicles allocated to the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare during the NDC era vanished immediately after the 2000 general elections.

The vehicles, Nissan patrol, GR 6899K, a brown Toyota Land Cruiser, GR 47731J, a Toyota Corona Salon car, GT 60477B and an Isuzu Trooper, used by the former Deputy Minister, Mr Austin Gamey, could not be traced when stock was taken by the new Ministers.

Thereafter, the Ministry of Employment and Manpower Development mounted a frantic search for the vehicles, and our information is that three of them have been retrieved.

One of the vehicles, the Nissan Patrol, was retrieved from Mr Okyere Darko Ababio, head of the Redeployment Management Committee. According to sources at the Ministry, even though Mr Ababio knew about efforts to retrieve the cars, he failed to inform the Ministry that the car was in his possession.

The source said Mr Darko normally parked the car near the CEPS head office and walked the distance of about 500 metres to his office, apparently to avoid detection.

When finally he was caught red-handed using the vehicle and was asked to surrender the keys or be handed over to the police, Mr Ababio pleaded with the Deputy Minister, Mr J.J. Bennam, to give him some time to organise himself, but his plea was turned down, and the car was taken away from him.

The second vehicle, Isuzu Trooper, was also retrieved from a workshop at Odorna in Accra. It was not immediately known who sent the car there but according to sources, it was sent there for a checking of mechanical fault and repairs, which the Ministry disputes.

The Toyota Corona was also believed to have been parked at a garage at Adabraka, and it had since been sent back to the Ministry.

When contacted, Mr Bennam confirmed the story, but declined to comment further, saying, he was still investigating other similar cases it he Ministry. Mr Isaac Fordjour Obeng, the Transport Officer at the ministry, when contacted also could not deny or confirm the story.

He said that he could only talk in the presence of the Chief Director where his narration would be recorded, but the chief director was not available at that time. A source said it was possible the ex-Minister did not know anything about the missing vehicles and that some officials only wanted to be fast.