8 More Cough NSS Cash

Alhaji Alhassan Imoro
Eight more persons implicated in the massive fraud that hit the National Service Secretariat (NSS) are negotiating with the state to refund the monies they are alleged to have stolen from the state kitty.

They are Nelson Ayeltiga, a former accountant; Dominic Delle; Francis Himbuah; Alexander Agumey; Seth Quarteyli Quartey, accountants for Northern, Eastern, Central and Greater Accra Regions.

Emmanuel Asante, Joseph Bati and Freda Donkor, administrators and typist for Greater Accra, Upper East and Ashanti Regions respectively, have also agreed on a refund.

According to Mrs. Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, a senior state attorney, the state would want the accused persons to pay the said amounts of money they had decided to refund.

She stated that what was left to be done was an agreement on the time to commence the payments.

Mrs. Atakora Obuobisa, in an answer to a question by the presiding judge, Georgina Mensah-Datsa, stated that it was clear some of the accused persons might not come under Section 35 of the Courts Act which stipulates that the state might withdraw the charge against the accused persons if they refunded the monies.

Meanwhile, Festus Obeng-Sefa, the Central Regional administrator of the Secretariat, has reportedly refunded the allegedly appropriated money to the state.

Obeng-Sefa, according to the prosecution, between the months of September 2013 and August 2014, dishonestly appropriated a total of GH¢63,575 belonging to the nation.

Dennis Adjei Dwumoh, counsel for Alhaji Alhassan Imoro, former executive director of the Secretariat, asked the court to review the bail condition of his client that required him (Imoro) to report to the BNI every Wednesday.

As a result, Justice Mensah-Datsa reviewed the bail application, stating that Alhaji Imoro needed not go to the BNI anymore but ought to do so when requested by the security agency.

The case has been adjourned until December 10, 2015.

Thirty five officers of the NSS, including Alhaji Imoro, have been variously charged for conspiracy and stealing.

Alhaji Imoro is facing additional three charges of ‘giving bribe to influence public officer.’

The prosecution alleges that Alhaji Imoro, between the months of September 2013 and July 2014, at the NSS headquarters in Accra, dishonestly appropriated GH¢28,749,395.80 belonging to the state

The former NSS boss is said to have on August 1 and September 26, 2014, given GH¢25,000 and GH¢15,000 respectively to one Charles Kipo, a Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) investigator as value consideration for the exercise of influence in his (Imoro’s) favour.

The prosecution said in July 2014, the BNI commenced a nation-wide investigation into the operations of the NSS with regard to the payment of monthly allowances to Service Persons.

The prosecution alleged that an elaborate plot hatched by Alhaji Imoro, supported by senior officers of the scheme at the National Secretariat and all the regional directors of the scheme and implemented by the district directors, led to the state losing GH¢107,897,018.36.

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By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson


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