Port officer, 2 others on GH48k trial
By Helena Selby
Dr. Benjamin Kunbour, Minister of Justice and Attorney General
A Former Chairman of the Ghana Port and Harbours Authority (GPHA), and two others, are undergoing trial at a Tema Circuit Court for allegedly causing financial lose to the company.
The accused persons, Wilberforce Kwamena Bedu-Mensah, Francis Kwabena Koomson, a former treasurer, and Stephen Ocansey, former assistant treasurer, who are former workers of the said company, allegedly embezzled a cash sum of GH¢48,913.60 when they were in office.
Their activities were uncovered after about eight years in office, when auditing was conducted by new executives of the company who were elected by the Board.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit crime, contrary to section 23 (1) of Act 29/60 and stealing, contrary to section 124 (1) of Act 29/60 as amended by paragraph 4 of NLCD 398 of 1969 before the court, presided over by Mr. Eric Kyei Baffour.
They were admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 with two sureties each and are expected to re-appear before the court on October 18, 2012.
Briefing the court on the facts of the case, the Prosecutor, Chief Inspector Adolphus Otchere, told the court that in the year 2002, the three accused persons took over the administration of the GPHA to run the affairs of the credit union.
According to him, the accused persons started work from that period up to September, 2010 when new executives had to take over from them through another election conducted.
He said in the process of handing over, the new executives who are witness in this case caused an auditing to be conducted leading to the invitation of auditors from the department of Co-operatives and Credit Union Association of Ghana (CUA).
According to him, after the auditing was conducted, a cash fall of GH¢48,913.60 was detected.
He narrated to the court that the accused persons were invited by the auditors to explain how the said money got missing but no tangible explanation were offered by them.
The complainant, he noted therefore lodged at the Harbor Police Station adding “the accused persons were arrested and another opportunity was once again offered to them to explain how the shortfall came about but they failed to give any.”
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