Some former District Chief Executives (DCEs), who testified at the Ghana@50 Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday, debunked the allegations of irregularities levelled against them by their subordinates. They claimed the decision to distribute freely, souvenirs meant for sale, was to whip up enthusiasm about the celebration and to enable people in their various districts partake effectively in the national event. Some of the former DCEs explained that because of the poverty levels in their districts, most of the people were not in the position to afford some of the items on sale. A number of District Co-ordinating Directors (DCD), who appeared before the commission claimed that DCEs personally distributed the items freely without consultation with assembly members. The DCDs also alleged that former DCEs personally took delivery of the anniversary souvenirs and collected various sums of monies from their district finance officers without accounting for them. On the strength of those allegations, the commission subpoenaed the DCEs to appear before it. The ex-DCEs who testified included: Yaw Yiadom Boakye, Kwaebibirem, Doris Gyapomah Oduro, Wassa Amenfi East, Asiedu Mensah Abrampah, Juaboso, Samuel Donkor, Awowin Suaman, Kwakye Adeaefe Benjamin, Amansie West, James Kwabena Appiah-Awuah, Nkoransa South and Peter Wuni, Mamprusi. Yiadom, ex-DCE of Kwaebibirem, who admitted personally taking some money from proceeds of the sales of the anniversary souvenirs from the District Finance Officer, explained that the amount was lodged at the former Eastern Regional Minister's office in Koforidua. Yiadom, who agreed that the financial regulations of the assembly did not permit what he did, said he took the action because the body received the anniversary souvenirs from the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the Ghana@50 Secretariat in Accra. He said his impression was that payments were to be treated in a special way, hence his decision to effect payment at the RCC. "The Minister can confirm this to the Commission when he appears tomorrow", he said. He confirmed distributing 40 anniversary cloths to some dignitaries for free as appreciation for their various contributions towards the progress of the assembly. Donkor, former DCE for Awowin Suaman, also gave an account of how the assembly received and distributed the items, which did not pass through the assembly's stores. According to him, the items arrived a few days to the celebration when the store keeper was not available. Donkor said as a result, the items were dispatched to seven area councils for distribution instead of keeping them in the office, adding that the rest of the souvenirs were sold and an amount of GH¢3500 was realized. He claimed he handed over the cash and all documents relating to the transaction to his successor, admitting however, that some of the items got missing but could not tell the commission how it happened. Asiedu Mensah Abrampah, the Juaboso ex-DCE, also confirmed receiving the anniversary souvenirs and 83 pieces of cloth from RCC, saying, he handed over the items to the storekeeper without a waybill attached to them. Abrampah, who produced documented evidence indicating the names of recipients of the souvenirs, told the commission that the assembly experienced difficulty selling the items and so gave them out freely because of the poverty level of the district. The former Nkoransa South DCE, Kwabena Appiah-Awuah, refuted allegations that he instructed the assembly's storekeeper to distribute the items freely without the consent of the DCD. He said "there is no iota of truth in the story". Appiah-Awuah explained that it was a collective decision by the assembly and not his personal decision as alleged. Source: GNA