Accusations against me are false - former GEPA Deputy CEO
Former Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Agency (GEPA), Akilu Sayibu has denied illegally appropriating an official laptop to himself upon the termination of his appointment and paying himself clothing allowance.
Recent media publications have sought to accuse Sayibu of dishonest acts following the termination of his appointment on June 7, 2018.
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In a statement he issued Wednesday, however, he said the accusations are totally false and he wondered why those revelations were singled out for publication while his responses to audit queries on the matters were shelved.
On the laptop, he said when his appointment was terminated, he was given the option to either return the laptop, replace same, or pay and keep it.
“I opted for the option of keeping same and paying for the cost from my terminal benefit in an official written communication.
“Accepting the option to pay for the laptop was not done in secrecy. It was done through an official written communication to Ms Afua Asabea Asare, the new CEO, months before the official Auditing, the evidence of which is available.
“The Auditors were duly informed of this arrangement in a written response I gave to them, a copy of which is available and which they made reference to in number 310 of the Audit Report.
“I therefore see the decision to publish only that portion of the report and omitting my response as a deliberate attempt to paint me black in the eyes of the public.
On the allegation that he paid himself Gh¢10,400 as clothing allowance, he said for the 13 months that he worked at GEPA, he was never a signatory to any corporate accounts and neither had any mandate to pay even a pesewa either to himself or anybody.
He emphasised that he never paid himself clothing allowance or received same.
“The allegations of payment of an alleged Gh¢10,400 for clothing allowance was brought to my attention during an Audit Observation.
“I made my salary account available to the Auditors to prove that I never received any clothing allowance.
“Why the allegation of receipt of clothing allowance was published and my response not published remains a mystery.
“I have formally written to the Auditor General on this and entreat that such outrageous allegations be ignored.”