Two Billion Cedis Missing At Police Headquarters?

Chronicle Intelligence has confirmed that a scandal is brewing at the pay office of the Police headquarters as whistle blowing officers have flagged the Ministry of the Interior about suspected missing of about ?2 billion from the Police Fund.

Sector Minister, Hackman Owusu Agyeman confirmed in a telephone interview with The Chronicle that he had received a letter from a group of concerned police officers on the matter and that his Ministry had forwarded the case to the Auditor General for investigation.

Even though fingers are pointing to very high-ranking officers of the service for their alleged involvement, the Minister said his ministry would not shield anybody caught in any corrupt conduct. The law would be allowed to take its course.

"Yes I have received the letter regarding this case and I have forwarded it to the Auditor General for investigation. Let me assure you that my Ministry will not shield anybody who is found to have mis-conducted himself."

He could not however give details of the letter because, according to him, it would be prejudicial.

The Auditor General, Mr. Edward Duah Agyeman, also confirming the story when The Chronicle contacted him, said his outfit was combing the pay vouchers and would cover every arena necessary to bring out the truth or otherwise of the concerns the whistle blowers had raised.

But the IGP, Nana Owusu Nsiah initially denied knowledge of the existence of such a case. He later said he could not comment on it because it was under investigation.

"This is an allegation and so I think you should not publish anything until the final report is out."

According to Chronicle sources at the Police Headquarters, the alleged missing money was supposed to be used for the renovation/rehabilitation of police barracks and other police installations. It represented monies that had gone missing between 2000 and 2003.

The sources said this was not the first time the police fund had been allegedly plundered and that during Peter Nanfuri's time he virtually "scattered" the pay office under a similar suspicion.

Just around that time, the current IGP, who was then the Pay Master General and the entire pay office staff were reposted. Nana Nsiah found himself at the National Development Planning Commission at the Flagstaff House.

But Nana Nsiah said although there was a shake up at the Pay Office at the time "because of some of these wild allegations," he was not removed from the pay office because of a case of corruption.

The sources further alleged that when the IGP came to into office he brought back the same officers who were removed from the pay office.

Meanwhile, The Chronicle has learnt that Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Welfare, Boakye Appiah who was removed from the service for indiscipline has been brought back.

When asked why the officer is back, the IGP told The Chronicle that he appealed against his dismissal many years ago.

But another view was that when Boakye was removed from the pay office, he was asked to vacate his house but he refused so Mr. Nanfuri ordered that he should be removed by force.

Mr. Boakye allegedly went to court against police regulations so he was tried under police regulations and was removed from the police service.

The head of the pay office at the time the ?2 billion was said to have gone missing was Mr. Andrew Kwasi Gyabaah who is currently the Commissioner in charge of Technical and General Services. His responsibilities include renovation and repair of police buildings.

When The Chronicle contacted him for his comments on the missing money, he said: "This is news to me I am not aware of missing money from the Police Fund. The Minister of the Interior has not invited me for questioning in relation to the issue."

According to Mr. Gyabaah, the Police service did not handle funds approved by the Ministry of Finance for rehabilitation of projects adding that the money did not come to them directly.

Given the process through which payments were made, there was no way monies could go missing from the fund, he stressed.