The office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, in close collaboration with the Serious Fraud Office, is all set to commence criminal prosecutions of a number of persons and institutions deemed to have deprived the nation of huge sums that should be sitting in the national kitty. The illegal actions, in the view of the two institutions as per documents sighted by Myjoyonline.com, have been perpetrated against the financial wellbeing of the Republic of Ghana and for which the perpetrators must pay the price thereof. Sources within the A-G’s Department and the SFO would not indicate the exact date prosecutions would begin for the over 30 separate cases investigated by the two bodies, however they point to an immediate date for at least three of the cases. “Madam (Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu) is taking all the pains to properly build the cases for successful prosecutions and I do not think she is interested in any media trial. I don’t think you would hear her voice on these cases outside the courts. If you desire to know what cases are ready for prosecution, I think you will have to meet her in court”. Those were the words of a senior staffer at the Public Prosecutions directorate. The staffer was responding to questions by Myjoyonline.com bordering on documentation containing the SFO’s advise on cases it had investigated and passed for prosecution by the A-G, as well as others at various stages of completion. The cases likely to see immediate prosecution include

1. certain transactions surrounding the nation’s hosting recently of the African Hockey Tournament,
2. award and execution of a preventive maintenance contract by the Ministry of Health and
3. the transfer of GH¢405,000 for the payment of furnishing nine houses at Trasacco Estates in connection with the celebrations of Ghana’s 50th independence anniversary.

In the case of the hockey tournament, the SFO report claims the office investigated some suspicious withdrawals from the Bank of Ghana account of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Local Organising Committee Hockey 2009, to the tune of GH¢75,819 through fake supplies of office equipment. The amount, according to the SFO document, was part of a sum left in the accounts of the LOC after the Hockey Tournament. Messrs Magnus Rex Danquah, Chief Executive Officer of the LOC and Ebenezer Lomotey, the Accountant, however “decided to withdraw the money for their personal use.” The pair allegedly contracted the services of other persons to facilitate the withdrawal, after which they planned to share the booty per a formula agreed upon which was to see, Mr. Rex Danquah pocketing GH¢25,000 and Ebenezer Lomotey and the rest pocketing GH¢10,000 each. “Messrs. Magnus Rex Danquah, the Chief Executive Officer of LOC 2009 Hockey, Ebenezer Lomotey the Committee Accountant at the LOC 2009 Hockey conspired with Mr. Herbert Prebi a staff of the Audit Service on secondment to the Ghana Education Service and Mr. Shelter Jones Ocloo the Internal Auditor stationed at the Ministry of youth and Sports to perpetrate this fraud against the state,” said the SFO report. When reached on the phone Monday, Rex Danquah refused to comment on the issue, insisting; “I have no comment on the issue, my brother.” The SFO report said cheques for withdrawing the money were not issued in bulk to any of the conspirators. “Mr. Prebi issued between three to four cheques to each of the conspirators and post dated them to be cashed as and when. By the time investigations started, the following withdrawals had been made:- 1. GH¢3200.00 of which Mr. Lomotey took GH¢2000.00 and Prebi GH¢1,200.00. 2. GH¢700.00 cashed by Prebi. 3. GH¢8350.00 cashed by Prebi and sent to Rex Danquah through Lomotey.” The SFO report said the suspects were made to refund the amounts they had withdrawn from the account so far including the tax component deducted in favour of IBERP Enterprise. An amount of GH¢15,928.00 was retrieved and paid into the LOC 2009 Hockey Account while the balance stands frozen in the International Commercial Bank Account belonging to IBERP Enterprise.” The report said the suspects were arrested and are currently on police enquiry bail after admitting the offence. The offices of the new substantive SFO Director, Mortey Akpadze and the SFO Board Chaired by Justice Amonoo Monney would not comment on the issues, preferring to direct enquiries to the A-G and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, who was said to have travelled outside the country. More on the SFO files soon Story by Isaac Yeboah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana