Ghana’s tourism minister suspends museum board’s top officials over alleged GH₵6.7 million fraud

Ghana’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Art, Catherine Afeku has suspended four top officials of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) over alleged fraud to the tune of GH₵6,766,500 million.

DailyGuideAfrica reports that the executive director of the board, Naana Ocran, assistant director-in-charge of Monuments, Frederick Kofi Amekudi, the accountant, Kate Heymann and Central Regional director of GMMB, Nicholas Ivor, have been asked to proceed on indefinite leave.

The decision by Afeku, it was reported, is to enable an inquiry panel to carry out due investigations into the alleged fraud.

Fraud allegations

The Tourism Minister stated that the four top officials connived and diverted funds meant for the maintenance of museums and monuments in the country.

The officials of the museum and monument board were said to have squandered about $1.5 million and GH¢1 million meant for renovation and maintenance of museums and monuments between 2015 and 2018.

According to the minister, the officials successfully solicited funds from some international organisations to enable the board maintain public institutions under it but squandered the funds without recourse to the parent ministry.

The minister also narrated how she was hinted about the four officials’ covert dealings with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) where the acting executive director and the assistant director-in-charge of monuments secured $1 million for the renovation of monuments in the country.

Furthermore, a board member of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) reportedly gave the management of the board the sum of GH¢1 million in February 2018 for the re-roofing of the Accra Museum.

Tourism Minister is unhappy with the development

The Minister of Tourism, Catherine Afeku wrote to the four officials who were implicated asking them to proceed on a compulsory leave.

Their letters, read in part, “Further to this ministry’s letter dated 9th April 2018 on the above subject matter, an investigation has to be conducted into receipts and disbursements of funds received from the public and private organisations covering 2015 to date. Accordingly, you are to proceed on indefinite leave with effect from 2nd May 2018. In your absence, the chairman of the Board will appoint someone to act on your behalf.”

Afeku said after meticulous investigations into the dealings of the board’s official, it was discovered that the four officials had collected and squandered funds meant for the board without recourse to the parent ministry since 2015.

The Minister further said a colleague hinted her about the GMMB officials’ ‘underground’ dealings with UNESCO and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

“I was very much shocked and completely taken aback when the GNPC board member told me about that money and why official recognition had not been given by the ministry,” Afeku said.

The Minister also revealed that the Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, after visiting her, notified her about some financial assistance that had been given to the management of Museum and Monuments Board.

Indicted officials admit to committing fraud

The Tourism Minister claimed that the officials involved in the fraud admitted their crimes.

Afeku said that when the officials were questioned, they admitted the misappropriation of money meant for the running of the public institution.