Court action to enforce EOCO report – STE directs Professor Avoke

General News on Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-04-17

The University of Winneba Education has responded to the call of its former Vice Chancellor, Professor Mawutor Avoke, to be reinstated.

Professor Avoke bases his reintegration campaign on a report by the Office of the Fight against Organized and Economic Crime (EOCO), which frees him from all the offenses leading to his dismissal.

But the school has a direct answer: "If there is a report [the EOCO report] and you see that there is a benefit to you in the report, you sue him for it to be enforced. "

ETU Public Relations Officer Ernest Azutiga said on Wednesday that the university's decision to remove Professor Avoke as vice-chancellor was part of a rigorous process defined by established rules and procedures. .

Mr. Avoke's dismissal, despite the EOCO report, "was based on [the university’s Governing] Board of Inquiry that looked at the issue at the time, "defends Azutiga on Pulse on the channel Joy News from MultiTV.

The Committee, he explained, found key offenses against Professor Avoke and other officials – a result that motivated their dismissal at the time.

"[The Committee] cited them for violations or misconduct and why this led to their dismissal, "he said.

Reintegration campaign

During a meeting with the press on Tuesday, Professor Avoke asked UEW to allow him to complete his term – he was six months to the end of his term before being fired for failures suspected.

"All the allegations against us have proved false, in particular by EOCO, a public organization that has investigated these allegations," he told reporters in Accra.

In August 2018, the University Education Board of Directors, Winneba, dismissed Professor Avoke and four other senior university officials after the Fact Finding Committee found them guilty of wrongdoing. purchase offenses.

The irregularities concerned amounts paid to contractors working on the north campus roads.

Professor Avoke maintained his innocence.

This position of Professor Avoke was reinforced by the findings of an EOCO leak report that examined the issue.

In particular, the anti-corruption agency found that Professor Avoke had not abused his office or violated the alleged public procurement laws.

"The unfairness of dismissing staff members who have served the university in recent years on trumped-up charges, as evidenced by the so-called information report, is probably the greatest injustice in history. of higher education in the civilized world "Avoke said.

The University of Education, Winneba, has been consistently in the news since last year, as the struggle for university management intensified.

On March 14, 2019, the Central Region Security Council closed it following a violent demonstration by students.

The protest was prompted by a decision of the Board of Directors on March 7, 2019 to institute disciplinary measures against three lecturers after adverse claims against them.

This led the minority in Parliament to intervene, calling for the dismissal of the chairman of the board and vice-chancellor of the university, accusing them of the university's woes.

The statement, released Friday, said Professor Anthony Afful-Broni, vice-chancellor, and Associate Professor, Emmanuel Nicholas Abakah, badociate chairman of the board, had not only failed to run the university, but that their current duties remained the main obstacle to resolving the stalemate with UEW. .

Subsequently, the Council reversed its position by restoring the three speakers.

On the Prof. Avoke, the STE states that its decision is valid.

"ETS has never filed a formal complaint with EOCO. As it stands, we have not even seen a copy of the report. I do not know of any legislation that invalidates the report of a committee because EOCO has published a different report, "he said.