The woman who reportedly recommended that $20,000 of the public funds be voted for the 70th birthday party of Mr. Ishmael Yamson, Board Chairman of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) is in the news!
Vivian Agyepong, Administrative and Protocol Officer of the GIPC, has been interdicted and faces summary dismissal for breach of procurement procedures at the organization.
Agyepong reportedly ignored the internal audit recommendation that questioned the high premium on tickets procured by the travel agent of the GIPC. She also failed to ensure adequate supporting documents such as receipt covering tickets and commission charge.
According to the auditor’s report, Ms Agyepong gave a flimsy excuse that “that it was difficult for the agent to extract or single out receipts meant for GIPC only due to bulky payments.”
A report submitted to a Disciplinary Committee established to investigate allegations of financial and administration malfeasance against some officer of the GIPC stated Ms. Agyepong “did not follow through on Public Procurement requirements in the purchasing of tickets for official travels in spite of concerns raised by the Internal Auditor on the transactions in question, thus contravening the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 63) and Chapter 2 Regulation 13 of the GIPC’s Conditions of Service which stipulates that “An employee shall not engage in any transaction or do any act which may adversely affect his/her integrity as a staff of the Centre.”
In view of the seriousness of the offence, the report recommended that the Centre with immediate effect terminate he appointment.
Meanwhile, intel picked up by this paper indicates that she was picked up by National Security operatives yesterday at about 5:00pm following strong suspicion that she is the head of a cabal at the Centre which has been leaking very confidential documents about investors and information key to the Presidency to elements of the opposition in Ghana as well as to some media personnel.
Her laptop and mobile phone were seized in the process because it is believed it still contains some confidential documents of the GIPC which she has stealthily photographed.
Vivian Agyepong, who is said to have enjoyed very cosy relationships with some former senior management personnel of the Centre especially during the era of previous governments, used her proximity to the Centre of power to further her nefarious activities.
Eye witnesses say when she was picked up yesterday; she openly declared that she would be let of the hook in no time because she knew very top personalities, including a senior Minister in the current administration, who will secure her release.
It would be remembered that in 2012, there were a series of damaging leaks in which documents relating to the Presidency was leaked to the opposition media.
This proved particularly embarrassing to Mr. George Aboagye the GIPC boss at the time and eventually compelled him to resign from his position.
Persons working within the Presidency (GIPC report directly to the President of the Republic) are sworn to a code of secrecy as per article 101 of the constitution.
Last Wednesday, June 5, 2013, an Investment Promotion Officer of the Centre, Ghoria, was caught in the act by security personnel taking pictures of confidential documents about investors and documents key to the Presidency.
She was later picked up by operatives of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI). It is her arrest, sources say, which is leading to other arrests within the establishment.