The authorities of the National Health Insurance Authority have cautioned Mr. Yamoah Ponko, Ashanti Regional Manager of the scheme, following allegations of impropriety levelled against him. Mr. Ponko was summoned to Accra Wednesday, to face an enquiry set up to investigate the alleged impropriety and to explain some of the issues raised in a query letter issued to him. Speaking to the Times last night, Mr. Sylvester Mensah, Chief Executive of the NHIS, said Mr. Ponko responded to the query letter and a caution letter was issued to him. He has since returned to Kumasi. There have been a series of allegations ranging from corruption to abuse of power, levelled against Mr. Ponko by some members of the public, including members of the ruling National Democratic Congress, National Service personnel, interns and staff of the NHIS. According to Mr. Mensah, the latest allegation which informed the decision of the NHIA to summon him before the panel bordered on Mr. Ponko's alleged threat to transfer a female National Service staff at the Ashanti Regional office of the scheme to a rather remote and rural part of the region if she refused to have a sexual relationship with him. The lady, who is said to have repeatedly pleaded with unrelenting Mr. Ponko to renege on his threat, taped a conversation between them on the issue, and sent a copy of the recorded conversation to Fox FM, a private radio station in Kumasi where it was played on the air. The tape recording is said to have been played on several other stations within and outside the Kumasi metropolis. Mr. Ponko would not comment on the issue when contacted by journalists. Mr. Mensah who seemed disgusted by the many reported cases of corruption and abuse of power by some managers of the scheme, directed that the salaries of all interdicted personnel of the scheme be frozen. "All interdicted scheme managers will no more be paid their salaries effective today," he said, adding "it is bad enough that 32 of the scheme managers are on interdiction and four are in prison custody." Mr. Mensah also stated that the Authority would not accept any resignation letters from scheme managers or any other staff until the end of July. Source: The Ghanaian Times