Former Ghanaian Times cashier in hot water over GH¢100K embezzlement

A former cashier of the Ghanaian Times, Salomey Quarcoopome, has been cited by the Auditor General for allegedly embezzling about GH¢100,000 in revenue over two years.

The allegations levelled against the cashier include failing to deposit collected revenues into the firm’s accounts by tearing up parts of receipts and, in some cases, concealing entire receipt booklets.

This was revealed by the Managing Director of the New Times Corporation, Martin Adu-Owusu, when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament(PAC) on Thursday, August 15, 2024.

According to him, the case has been referred to the police, and efforts are underway to recover the funds.

“We realised that there were some of the receipts she tore and she kept them. Some of the money was not banked and even some of the whole receipts could also not be found.

“Unfortunately this is what happened and she doesn’t look like somebody who can do this but when we put all the figures together it was about GH¢100,000.

“So far, she has paid and it is left with GH¢70,275 and she has been dismissed and the police are handling her,” he noted.

This comes after the Public Accounts Committee(PAC) on August 14, 2024, referred management of the Ghana School of Law (GLS) to the Attorney General (AG) for prosecution due to alleged procurement breaches.

The Auditor General’s current report reveals that the Law School procured various goods and services without obtaining the necessary approval from its board.

Furthermore, the organization was accused of bypassing the sole-source procurement process.

These infractions in the procurement processes triggered PAC to refer the case to the Attorney General (AG).