Court adjourns former National Service Secretariat Boss stealing GH¢86.9m case
An Accra Fast Track High Court hearing the case involving Alhaji Alhassan Mohammed Imoro, former boss of the National Service Scheme (NSS), on Tuesday adjourned the case for the prosecution to conclude investigations.
The case was adjourned after the prosecution, led by Mrs Yvonne Attakora Obuobisa, Chief State Attorney, told the court that the investigator had informed her office that they have still not concluded investigations.
She said they had been informed that some audit investigations are still ongoing and thus prayed the Court for an adjournment while the investigations proceed.
Mr Samuel A. Jinapor, representing the defence counsel team, appealed to the Court to review the bail condition of his client from reporting at the BNI once in a week, to once in a month adding that the Police could invite his client at any point they need him to assist in investigations.
He said the weekly reporting at the BNI had restricted his client’s movement and is costly.
The prosecution was, however, opposed to the condition being reviewed saying it is because investigations are still ongoing that is why he would have to report weekly to the BNI.
Mrs Attakora Obuobisa said his weekly report to the BNI is to ensure that he stays within the jurisdiction.
“Due to the amount of money involved and the number of people involved, the investigations have to be done properly and to this effect I pray that the bail condition be maintained,” she added.
Mrs Justice Georgina Mensah-Datsa, Presiding judge, refused to grant the plea by the defence counsel and maintained the bail conditions, she then adjourned the case to May 27 for the prosecution to conclude investigations.
At the last sitting, the prosecution had prayed the court for a short adjournment to allow it to complete its investigations.
Alhaji Imoro has pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing GH¢ 86.9 million belonging to the Government through the payment of ghost or non-existing service personnel.
He was granted bail in the sum of GH¢ 90 million with three sureties, all to be justified, with property valued at more than one million Ghana cedis.
He was also asked to surrender his passport to the BNI until further notice.
On November 3, last year, Imoro was discharged by a Circuit Court, but was re-arrested and appeared before the Fast Track High Court.
The case for the prosecution was that the accused person was responsible for the posting and placement, raising vouchers and payment of National Service persons.
According to the prosecution, at the beginning of every year, he post service personnel and caused the transfer of vouchers across the country.
However, in July 2014, the BNI received some complaints of malfeasance and began a nationwide investigation into the operations of the NSS with regard to the payment of monthly allowances to service persons.
According to the prosecution, investigations so far revealed that for every month, starting from September 2013 to July 2014, GH¢ 7.9 million was paid to 22,612 non-existing personnel, or ‘ghost ‘service persons.
The prosecution said the ghost names were generated at the NSS headquarters under the supervision of the former NSS boss.
According to the prosecution, Alhaji Imoro instructed that the names be added to the Payment Vouchers (PVs).
The prosecution said the PVs were distributed to the Regional Directors of the Scheme, and on receipt, they further distributed the PVs to the District Directors under their jurisdiction.
The prosecution said Alhaji Imoro signed cheques for payments, which were deposited in the banks of the districts where service persons withdrew their allowances.
Alhaji Imoro also issued instructions to the District Directors, through the Regional Directors, that after the allowances of the genuine service persons had been paid, the monies for the ghost names should be withdrawn and sent to him through the Regional Directors.
The prosecution said, in all, GH¢86.9 million was received by Imoro from the 10 Regional Directors.
Source: GNA