The Concerned Assembly Members
A DAILY GUIDE source close to the Ghana School Feeding Programme says investigations into the activities and payroll of the Garu-Tempane office of the programme had confirmed a massive rot and fraudulent payment of monies to some undeserving caterers in the district.
Two women, Atigah Paulina, a government appointee of the Garu-Tempane District Assembly in the Upper East Region and Gladys Fumira Laar, were reported to have been unduly paid as caterers under the programme when in reality they had not been providing any services to deserve such payments.
In June 2016, a group of assembly members by name, Concerned Assembly Members, at a press conference in Garu, exposed a massive fraud being perpetrated by these nation wreckers and their collaborators in higher positions in the district.
Barely three weeks after the exposure, the leadership of the Ghana School Feeding Programme initiated an investigation, which confirmed that over GH¢120,000 (¢1.2 billion) was fraudulently paid to Atigah Paulina, from 2014 to April 2016, through E-zwick number 1009003225, in the names of three deprived schools – Nisbuliga D/A Primary, Worikambo D/A Primary and Abilatega D/A Primary – which never benefited from the programme during that period.
The other “ghost caterer,” Gladys Fummira Laar, was also paid over GH¢50,000 (¢500 million) through E-zwick number 1009002868, in the names of Azuguri D/A Primary and Wakuan D/A Primary, which also never benefited from the programme within the same period.
The two women have been directed by the Ghana School Feeding Programme to pay back the monies by the close of work on Friday, July 8, 2016, or in default be arrested.
According to DAILY GUIDE source, Atigah Paulina, as at Thursday, June 30, had paid back GH¢50,000 and Gladys Fummira Laar had also paid GH¢20,000.
A member of the Concerned Assembly Members, Bampil Badeabo Moses, in an interview with the DAILY GUIDE at Garu, said the group felt vindicated and were proud of the steps they had taken to stop a group of fraudulent people from milking the state.
From Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Garu