Auditor-General uncovers questionable payments at GEPA

The Auditor-General has uncovered more questionable payments at the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), including monies paid to furnish the private home of a former Deputy Executive Secretary.

A review of the GEPA’s payroll records revealed that on July 11, 2017, a total of GH¢54,340.00 was wrongly paid to Mr Eric Twum Amoako, a former Deputy Executive Secretary, in respect of soft furnishing.

The Auditor-General, however, discovered that this payment was made after Mr Amoako had already been paid rent allowance advance of $60,000 (about GH¢325, 500,000) on May 27, 2017.

The Auditor-General has asked the former Deputy Executive Secretary to refund the amount which was inappropriately paid to him or be surcharged in accordance with applicable statutory provisions.

It was also discovered that between July 2017 and July 2018, unearned salaries totalling GH¢23,597.42 was paid to Miss Jacqueline Aboney who was granted accumulated annual leave.

The special audit also noted that in May 2017, the Authority procured three Apple MacBook Pro Laptop computers at a total cost of GH?24,675.00 for the official use of the former Executive secretary Gifty Klenam and her two Deputies, Eric Amoako Twum and Akilu Sayibu.

The audit found that all three beneficiaries took along the laptops after they were removed from office in June 2018.

Madam Klenam has returned her laptop after she was informed of the anomaly.

At the time of putting together the audit report, computer equipment valued at GH?16,450.00 belonging to the Authority were still in the custody of Mr Amoako and Mr Akilu even though they had separated from the Authority as far back as June 2018.

Both gentlemen have been asked to either return the official laptops in their custody to the Authority without further delay or in the alternative, reimburse the Authority with the prevailing market value of the Apple computers in their custody or be surcharged with the replacement cost of the laptops.