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Common Fund Administrator testifies at Ghana@50 Commission of
Inquiry
Accra, Sept. 8, Ghanadot/GNA - Mr Joshua Magnus
Nicol, Administrator of the Common fund on Tuesday said the
“huge deductions” that District Assemblies claimed were deducted
from their Common Fund allocations was on the instructions of
the office of the President.
Testifying at the Ghana@50 Commission of Inquiry, Mr Nicol said:
“My Lord, I was only acting upon instructions from the Minister
of Local Government, who received a letter from the Office of
the President stating that the cost of the Ghana@50 plastic cups
supplied to the Assemblies should be deducted from their Common
Fund allocations”.
Coordinating Directors of Metropolitan, Municipal and District
Assemblies, who appeared before the Commission, complained of
huge deductions made from their respective Common Funds in
respect of the anniversary souvenirs.
While some of the Assemblies claimed the deductions did not
correspond to the quantity of items received, others said
although they did not receive such souvenirs, deductions were
made from their Common Funds.
The allegations by the Assemblies compelled the Commission to
subpoena the Administrator of the Common Fund to appear before
it to offer explanations.
Mr Nicol said his outfit received a letter from the Office of
the President instructing him to deduct GH¢5,160,000 from the
Assemblies’ Common Funds in respect of 5.4 million anniversary
plastic drinking cups with a unit price of GHp97.
The cups were to be distributed to school children in the
various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDs)
in lieu of the Jubilee celebration.
He said acting on the directive, he wrote to the Ghana Education
Service (GES) to make available the number of beneficiaries in
each district after, which deductions were made in respect of
the number of children per the unit cost of the cups.
Mr Nicol told the Commission that payment was to be spread in
four quarters and that after the deduction from the third
quarter, his outfit, received complaints from the various
Assemblies about the deduction.
He said, the Assemblies were therefore asked to submit letters
stating their grievances adding “But as I speak now My Lord,
none of the Assemblies have done so. It is only Gonja West,
which submitted a letter indicating that they had not received
any cups”.
When the Commission’s counsel asked Mr Nicol whether he sought
the consent of the MMD’s before the deductions were made, he
said that he assumed the former Chief of Staff, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani
had discussed the issue with them since the directive came from
the Office of the President.
“My Lord, it was not my duty to do so. I was only acting on the
directive from the Minister of Local Government,” he said.
When asked about what he intended to do with Assemblies that had
not received the cups but saw deductions made to their Common
Funds, Nicol said when confirmed that the Ghana@50 Secretariat
did not supply the cups, government would give them (Common Fund
Secretariat) the authorization to refund the monies.
Mr Willie Odoi, Managing Director of F.Malawi Engineering
Company Limited, said the company supplied to the Ghana@50
Secretariat the public address system that was used at the
Independence Square on the day of the celebration.
He said the company received part payment of GH¢44,137.45 from
the Secretariat on February 4, 2007 leaving an outstanding
balance of GH¢44,137.45.
Sivnesh Kumar, General Manager of Interplast Limited, who also
appeared, told the Commission that the Ghana@50 Secretariat owed
it 49,687 dollars for windows it supplied for the 60
presidential houses built by the African Union Development
Consortium Limited (AUDCL) projects at Ridge and the La AU
village at Cantonment.
The company was, however, asked to demand such claims from the
AUDCL and not the Ghana@50 Secretariat since AUDCL contracted
them to supply the windows.
GNA
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