Multimedia admits staff took GH¢3,000 off Attuquayefio’s cash
Multimedia Group says one of its staff received an amount of GH¢3,000 from monies meant for former Ghanaian coach Cecil Jones Attuquayefio.
The media group indicated that the money given to its staff as a “Thank You” gesture as its station JoyFM helped in promoting a charity match for the legend coach who is reported to be suffering from throat cancer, has been returned to the coach.
The charity match was organized by a company known as Primeval Consult and it made over GH¢27,000 from the charity, according to a GNA report.
The veteran coach has so far benefited a paltry $1000 from the entire game organised to celebrate him and support his throat cancer treatment, the GNA reported October 6, 2012.
In a statement today October 15, 2012, Multimedia said “It later emerged that the organizers presented a cash amount of GH¢3,000 to a member of the [JoyFM] sports team as “Thank You” for helping to promote the testimonial match.”
But the money was retrieved from the JoyFM staff by management.
“Management of JoyFM asked the team member to refund the GH¢3,000 when this anomaly was brought to the attention of the station. Management handed over the GH¢3,000 to Coach Jones Attuquayefio on October 2, 2012. He has acknowledged receipt of the amount,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the company has sanctioned the said staff, whose name it did not mention.
However, it mentioned the name of the official at Primeval Consult as Larry Opare-Otoo.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the JoyFM staff t who received and refunded the said money was Ernest Koranteng, who was the Sports editor of the radio station.
By Ekow Quandzie
Read full Multimedia statement on the Jones Attuquayefio testimonial match
The attention of the management of the Multimedia Group Limited has been drawn to several media reports on the June 22 testimonial match organized for coach Cecil Jones Attuquayefio. Multimedia would like to for the records, state clearly the extent of its involvement in the charity event.
a) One of the Multimedia stations, JOY FM was approached by the organizers of the event – Primeval Consult to use its sports platform to promote the event.
b) During the phone-ins, there were persistent demands and so the programme auctioned tickets for the testimonial match at special rates.
c) The live on-air program yielded GH¢7,000.00. Details of this including the buyers were published on myjoyonline.com (http://sports.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201207/89449.php)
d) An additional cash amount of GH¢500.00 was donated by a friend of JOY Sports, Daniel Amoateng, bringing the total amount realized on JOY FM to GH¢7,500.00.
e) The whole amount was handed over to the organizers Primeval Consult through its project lead officer Larry Opare-Otoo. Mr. Opare-Otoo has acknowledged receipt of this sum.
f) JOY FM had nothing whatsoever to do with the organization of the charity match or the gate proceeds and has no knowledge of what was realized from that. Indeed, JOY FM’s involvement in this event was only to the extent of using its sports platform to promote the event and auction tickets.
g) It later emerged that the organizers presented a cash amount of GH¢3,000.00 to a member of the sports team as “Thank You” for helping to promote the testimonial match.
h) Management of JOYFM asked the team member to refund the GH¢3,000 when this anomaly was brought to the attention of the station. Management handed over the GH¢3,000 to Coach Jones Attuquayefio on October 2, 2012. He has acknowledged receipt of the amount.
i) In keeping with the station’s value of Integrity, sanctions have been applied to the associated staff.