A former Minister of Health, Alex Segbefia, has stated he is oblivious of the alleged Gh¢10 million fraud that hit the Tepa Nursing and Midwifery College.
The principal of the college in the Ahafo Ano North district of the Ashanti region, Victoria Amoah and an accountant Asamoah Richard were cited in the alleged fraud. The two administrative members allegedly used fake receipts and invoices to milk the government institution during every admission year, according to investigations by Ultimate FM.
The alleged corrupt practice began in 2011 two years after the college was established and according to a former board chairman of the college, Nana Adusei Atwenewa Ampem I he reported the development to the Health Ministry for investigation to be conducted.
This, he said, he did in a letter to Mr. Segbefia but nothing was done about it.
“So this thing has come to me before and I wrote to the then Minister of Health Alex Segbefia in 2016 when it came to my notice. So we were just waiting for the ministry’s response, they have not replied to me yet,” he told Ultimate FM.
But speaking Wednesday on Morning Starr, Mr. Segbefia disclosed he does not remember receiving any letter from the former board chairman of the college, who is also the chief of the Tepa Traditional Council.
“[But that] is not to say the letter was not brought in. Maybe it was but I do not remember,” he told Morning Starr host Francis Abban.
Again, he said he is not involved in the fraud and that he knows nothing about it, saying: “I’m not aware of the fraud and I’m not the one to sit on issues if I have the facts to act upon. You have to understand that in my position we get a lot of mischievous letters implicating people in high positions, directors…so every complain that comes you must go through processes and procedures before you can act upon it.”
Meanwhile, the current administration of the Ministry of Health has ordered investigations into the fraud allegation.
