Gifty Klenam – Former boss of GEPA
The Audit Service has revealed how the Ghana Export Promotion Authority in 2017 engaged resource persons for the provision of various Consultancy services amounting to GH¢269,473.50 and USD$123,000.00 through single sourcing, but was unable to provide correspondence from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) authorising the use of the single source procurement method.
The Service made this known in its report on special audit it carried out on selected state institutions in 2018.
According to the report, the Audit Service “requested management to provide PPA’s approval for the use of single source procurement method on the engagement of consultants amounting to GH¢269,473.50 and USD$123,000.00; failing which sanctions prescribed by Section 92 (1) of Act 663 of 2003 and Sections 5 (1and 3) of the Public Procurement Amendment Act, 2016 (Act 914), would be invoked against the former Executive Secretary and Director of Finance who approved the payments.”
Gifty Klenam was the Executive Secretary of GEPA at the time and was sacked by President Nana Akufo-Addo last year after she was hit major financial scandals.
The report said “in September 2017 and February 2018, the former ES (Executive Secretary) awarded two separate contracts for consultancy services totalling USD$123,000.00 (GH?542,640.00) to Mr. Kwesi Korbor,
Kaneshie-Accra, and BLC Investment Consult, Accra, but could not provide documentary approval of the Authority’s Entity Tender Committee for the procurement activities.”
It said the Service further noted that the Authority had a functioning Entity Tender Committee but the contracts were not referred to it for approval though the individual contract values were above the ES’s approving threshold.
The Audit Service requested the former ES, Ms. Klenam, to provide approval of the Authority’s Entity Tender Committee on the contracts valued at USD$123,000.00, for review and further action.
Other Matters
According to the report, at its meeting held on February 1, 2018, the Council unilaterally approved and paid members remuneration and allowances totalling GH?180,886.00 for the period November 2017 to May 2018 but could not provide documentary approval by the Minister of Finance
The Service requested management to provide justification to substantiate the payments totalling GH¢192,400.00 to the various Committee members, failing which, the former ES and Director of Finance would be jointly held liable to refund the amount, according to the report.
BY Melvin Tarlue