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Is Tsatsu Tsikata being prepared
for the slammer again?
By Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Folks, we have been following developments since the NPP’s
K.T. Hammond revealed that the GNPC had unduly paid
end-of-service benefits (ESB) to three of its former senior
management personnel.
Former Chief Executive, Tsatsu Tsikata and his wife Esther
Cobbah, who was Public Affairs Manager of the GNPC, were
reportedly paid one million Cedis and 600,000 Cedis,
respectively. Another former Chief Executive, Nana Boakye
Asafu-Adjaye, and a former Field Evaluation and Development
Manager, Mr. Benjamin Dagadu, who is currently a Deputy
Minister, also received unknown sums of money.
The GNPC has come out to clarify matters, but the fire is
still raging on, especially with Hammond’s rhetoric that the
money paid to those beneficiaries was “stolen”. The GNPC’s
position is that the benefits were paid out only after its
Board had approved the package; and also that paying such
benefits wasn’t anything strange or criminal. In effect, the
beneficiaries truly deserved the package. The only concern,
though, might be the timing. They should have been paid long
ago but weren’t. The payments came some 15 years after the
beneficiaries had left the GNPC in 2001 when Kufuor took
over from Rawlings.
Here is the GNPC’s stance: The beneficiaries had served the
GNPC for periods ranging between 12 and 21 years and “were
removed from office in 2000 and 2001 under circumstances
that did not allow for the payment of their respective
accumulated separation entitlements… The Board of Directors
of the Corporation, after in-depth review of the situation,
concluded that the payment of the end-of-service benefits to
these management personnel, who had made invaluable
contributions to the development of the Corporation, is a
valid obligation. The Board took the position that meeting
this obligation, however belatedly, is the right thing to
do”.
But K.T. Hammond and those wading into the matter see things
differently. Hammond is raising arguments woven around
“Statute of Limitations” and insulting Tsat5su as a “thief”.
Ms. Cobbah has issued a statement denying that the GNPC has
paid her as is being alleged by Hammond. No word yet from
Tsatsu and the two others implicated by Hammond’s claims.
The matter is assuming interesting dimensions with some
people asking for it to be investigated because they suspect
the circumstances are murky and should be clarified for us
to know everything about the payment. Nothing bad at all
about such agitations except that some are pointing accusing
fingers at Tsatsu as if he was the brain behind the
payments.
Is there any evidence to prove that Tsatsu initiated
measures for the ESB or ex-gratia awards to be paid to him
and the others? Is there any proof that the GNPC Board did
anything wrong by approving the package? Or is there any
evidence that someone unduly pulled strings for the package
to be given to the beneficiaries?
Here are the GNPC Board members: Felix Addo (Chair),
Kyeretwie Opoku, Abraham Amaliba, Awulae Attibrukusu, and
Worlanyo Amoah. Was the decision to pay the benefits the
sole responsibility exercised by the Board? Is the Board
authorized to do such a thing? If so, why the foul (out)cry?
If K.T. Hammond’s claim that the money paid to Tsatsu and
Co. was approved by Parliament for other purposes, then,
someone has questions to answer. How did the use of that
money negatively affect the operations of the GNPC on that
score?Misappropriation of funds shouldn’t be encouraged.
I find nothing specifically wrong with one’s services being
recognized and rewarded at the end of the road; but what I
find very disturbing is the hypocrisy and discrimination
behind it all. If abolishing ESB in the public sector is
considered good for the country, why isolate others
(especially the so-called senior management personnel and
politicians) for preferential treatment?
The principle behind Rawlings’ abolition of this ESB or
ex-gratia awards is offensive, especially when the poor
public sector workers are denied while a select group of
people are paid as if they matter more than everybody else
denied the package.
Some are arguing that there is a difference between ESB and
ex-gratia and want to know which category specifically the
payments made to Tsatsu and Co. fall. Technically speaking,
I don’t see any huge difference between ESB and ex-gratia.
Both come at the one’s service to the institution or
country, depending on the particular domain at issue. If the
terms of engagement spell out the “perks” of office, then,
documentary evidence exists to fall back on. Otherwise,
everything points back to the moral obligations of the GNPC
Board. Who did what for the benefits to be paid?
Our politicians have benefited from it, even though Rawlings
abolished ESB for public sector workers, but had no
reservation against his own appointees’ being given same.
Kufuor did same for himself and his team. The Greenstreet
and Chinery Hesse Commissions’ work on such benefits for the
so-called “political” office holders can’t be swept under
the rug. Neither should we neglect the huge car loans given
to MPs, which no one is monitoring to know who has paid back
or not!!
Now, in this case involving Tsatsu and the others, I wonder
if the anger being expressed is motivated by other factors
than what we hear from Hammond and the others. Is it because
it is Tsatsu who is involved? And we know how they consider
him as a thorn in their flesh that they can’t easily remove
to rid themselves of the pressure that he has put on them:
How about his flooring of Akufo-Addo in the infamous Fast
Track Courts case at the Supreme Court? How about his
sterling performance at the NPP’s useless petition hearing
to deepen Akufo-Addo’s political woes?
Circumstances surrounding his being convicted to serve five
years in prison are known. But for the miraculous
intervention by Kufuor a day before he left office, Tsatsu
would have gone the entire hog to serve that term.
From what is developing now, it cannot be ruled out that the
groundwork is already being done to do him in again. Could
Tsatsu and his co-beneficiaries have turned down the package
offered them on the basis of principle and avoid all that is
developing to nail them down?
Let’s see what happens after the GNPC management has met the
Mines and Energy Sub-Committee of Parliament today. Or when
Tsatsu and the others come out to clear the air. We are
monitoring!!
I shall return…
• E-mail: mjbokor@yahoo.com
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to continue the conversation.
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