Suspended Chief Accountant of the Electoral Commission (EC) has petitioned President Akufo-Addo through his lawyers for his reinstatement in order to carry out recommendations by the Chief Justice’s committee that investigated the petition against the former EC Chairperson, Charlotte Osei and her two deputies – Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwah.
In a five page petition to the President and copied to the Attorney General, which has been intercepted by Starrfmonline.com the EC Chief Accountant, Kwaku Owusu Agyei-Larbi, reveals that the sum of three hundred and sixty-thousand Ghana cedis (Ghc360, 000.00) handed to him by the former Deputy EC Chairman, Amadu Sulley, is in his Security Safe currently sitting in his office and that he is the only one who can unlock the safe.
On page 34 of the report of the Chief Justice’s Committee that recommended the removal of the EC Chair and her two deputies, it was also submitted that “Mr.Kwaku Owusu – Larbi, the Chief Accountant be made to pay to the Commission the amount of GHc 360,000.00 he admitted had been in his custody in his office since 2016. If he is not able to pay the said amount to the EC, we recommend that he is charged with stealing.”
The embattled Chief Accountant of the EC in his petition said “the amount of money (360,000.00) was only brought into his office for safekeeping by the Assistant Director of Electoral Services because it is only his office that has a secured safe at the Commission.The disbursement or purpose of the funds are solely known to the Assistant Director of Electoral Services”.
The petitioner added that “if EOCO were to revoke its directive that asked him to proceed on leave, he is ready and willing to go back into his office and make the said amount of money deposited in his care available to the commission.”
The Chief Accountant also made a three point prayer to the President for his intervention as follows; firstly, “that the directives of the EOCO asking him to proceed on leave be revoked or vacated and that he should be recalled to resume his lawful duties at the EC. Secondly, that he be allowed to resume work at his office to retrieve the cash of Ghc 360,000.00 and the sum of GHc 72,430.00 for onward deposit into a designated account of the EC.
Lastly, the petitioner requested “that the State Security is also directed to provide protection and adequate surveillance at his offices at the EC pending his resumption of work since by his petition, the location of the funds has now been revealed”.
The petition is dated 3rd July 2018 and signed by lawyer for the suspended Chief Accountant,Jerry John K. Asiedu, ESQ.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Wilberforce Asare
