BNI retains 6.5 million GHC owned by NSS – Executive Director | General news

Mustapha Ussif, executive director of the National Service Scheme (NSS) revealed that the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) still retains an amount of 6.5 million GHC belonging to the system as an exhibit in a case.

According to him, the BNI, in its money collection operation purportedly deducted from the service allowance account, created the BNI director's account to deposit the money.

Mr. Ussif made this disclosure when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee to answer questions raised by the 2016 Auditor General's Report.

Mr. Ussif's response followed a question from Mr. Sam George, MP for Ningo-Pampram, about why the 6.5 million GHCs were to be credited to the account of the director of BNI.

Ussif also explained that when the scheme was hit by the ghost name scandal, the investigative body charged by the government with investigating the issue was the BNI.

He added that the BNI had then decided to create a special account to collect funds allegedly deducted from the allocation account of service personnel of district officers, regional officers and NSS national officers involved in the scandal. .
He stated that when he took office and reviewed his notes and the Auditor General's report, he formally wrote to the Director of BNI at the time and also asked to meet to discuss how these amounts could be reimbursed to the NSS.

He added that the BNI, in its response, had stated that, as the case was still pending in court and that she was using money as an exhibit, she would not return it to the court. report until the conclusion of the file.

However, Mr Sam George, who was not satisfied with the NSS leader's response, asked Mr James Klutse Avedze, President of the CAP, to comment on the matter.

"I do not see how the 6.5 million GHC remained on the BNI account without being returned to the chest as evidence. Once, a bank statement indicates that the recoveries made in the different districts were made on the specialized account, which should be enough to initiate legal proceedings, "he added.

Ghost names rocked the NSS in 2014, which led to the arrest and criminal prosecution of several officers, including; the then Executive Director, Alhaji Alhbadan Mohammed Imoro and 34 other people.

A report from BNI suggests that between September 2013 and August 2014, the then Executive Director and 34 other people, including: all regional directors and other senior officers inflated the payroll with as much as 31,516 ghost names for national service badignments and national volunteer service recruitment.

All of these ghost names benefited from GHC243.00 and GHC350 paid to national service agents that year, suggesting that the money was going into the pockets of those who were behind the plot.