The Office of the Special Prosecutor has invited the Registrar of the
Scholarship Secretariat and the Administrator of the Ghana Education
Trust Fund (GETFund) Secretariat to help with investigations to
ascertain whether or not either of them or both have used their
positions for private benefit.
The two officials — Mr Kingsley Agyemang, the Registrar, and Mr Richard
Boadu, the Administrator — are to report at exactly 10 a.m. on
September 3, 2019 and August 28, 2019, respectively.
When contacted, Mr Boadu denied any wrongdoing and said he was prepared to meet the Special Prosecutor.
However, Mr Agyemang could not be reached, as he was on official assignment outside the jurisdiction.
Letters addressed to the two officials, both dated August 22, 2019 and
signed by Mr A. B. K. Amidu, copies of which are available to the Daily
Graphic, said: “The Office has been conducting preliminary
investigations into suspected commission of corruption and
corruption-related offences in the nature of use of public office for
private profit or benefit, contrary to sections 179 (c) and 179 (d) of
the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
“The matters of preliminary investigations have reached such a stage
that instructions for a full investigation into possible use of public
office for private profit or benefit in the award of scholarships to
needy students have been issued.”
Both officials are to report with all information and documents,
including relevant minutes of the board relating to the award of
scholarships, in particular for tertiary education in Ghana and outside,
where applicable.
Invitation
The letters to the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat and the
Administrator of the GETFund both read: “You are accordingly being
invited as the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat or and therefore
its Chief Executive Officer/the Administrator of the GETFund
Secretariat to assist in the investigations in pursuance of sections 29
and 73 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) and
Regulation 10 of the Office of the Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations,
2018 (L.I. 2374).”
They are to report to the acting Head of Investigations of the OSP.
>b>Kingsley Agyemang react
Mr Agyemang, who is on official duties in India, confirmed receipt of the letter from the OSP.
He told the Daily Graphic via telephone that the whole issue bordered
on Section 2 (b) of the GETFund Act, 2000 (Act 581) which touched on the
object of the fund.
Section 2 (b) of Act 581 says the GETFund is “to provide supplementary
funding for the Scholarship Secretariat for the grant of scholarships to
gifted but needy students for studies in second-cycle and accredited
tertiary institutions in the country”.
The act interprets accredited tertiary institutions to include any post-secondary institution that is accredited.
It listed accredited tertiary institutions to include: a university or
university college, a polytechnic, a diploma-awarding teacher training
college and a post-senior high school institution.
Mr Agyemang said he would react fully after the engagement with the
Special Prosecutor, but explained that “we at the secretariat, since
2012, had not received funds until last year”.
In that year, he added, the Scholarship Secretariat received about GH¢1
million and it was used to award scholarships to brilliant, needy
students in second-cycle schools.
“We’ve done nothing untoward; I’ve done nothing untoward. We will
assist in the investigations. I’ll meet him on Tuesday and react fully
after the meeting with the Special Prosecutor,” Mr Agyemang added.
Meanwhile, attempts by the Daily Graphic to reach the Administrator of
the GETFund for his response have been unsuccessful, as he is also on
official assignment outside the country.
Information available to the Daily Graphic indicates that as of the
time of going to press yesterday, the administrator was airborne for an
official engagement.
