THE Nkoranza North District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kwadwo Adjei Dwomor, has been cleared of the alleged impropriety levelled against him by 13 members of the Nkoranza North District Assembly in the Brong Ahafo Region in December, last year.
His exoneration followed a report submitted by the three-member committee set up by the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, on the directives of the President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, and chaired by Mr Agyenim Boateng, the Presiding Member for Sunyani West District, to investigate the alleged impropriety levelled against the DCE.
A statement signed on behalf of the Regional Minister Mr Felix B. Chaahaah, and issued to the press in Sunyani by the Regional Co-ordinating Director, said after the submission of the findings by the committee, “the President observed that the charges levelled against the DCE were without merit.
He has, accordingly, been exonerated.”
The statement said after interrogating 88 persons who appeared before the committee, the committee found out that “the push for a vote of no confidence by 13 members of the assembly on December 17, 2010, was illegal and had no basis, since it was against Part 14 Section 54 (3) AND Section 54 (5) of the Model Standing Orders for District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies.”
It said: “The procurement of the grader was properly laid before the Executive Committee on June, 18, 2009, and also before its First Ordinary Meeting on July 9, 2009. The assembly gave its approval for the purchase of the grader and a Resolution was duly signed by the Presiding Member, Mr Benjamin Adu Donkor, and the DCE, Mr Dwomor.”
It added that “on the hiring out of the grader, it was established that the DCE took the decision, in consultation with the management of the Assembly, in line with Section 20(1) 6 of the Local Government Act 1993 (Act 462) and the proceeds of Gh¢2,000.00 generated was duly paid into the Assembly’s Account. It was established that the DCE did not hire out the grader to a contractor.
The committee also established that “the assembly’s tractor was indeed used by the DCE to plough his personal farm at Konkonpe. However, it was released to him by the Acting Chairman of the Management Committee of the Tractor, Mr Sylvester Amankwaa, in line with the modalities of the operations of the tractor, which allowed management staff access to the use of the tractor as an incentive. Staff were to buy fuel for the services they required. So the DCE accessed the services of the tractor under the same terms.”
“It was also established that one of the petitioners, Mr Kofi Agyemang, also used the tractor on his farm under the same facility and did not even buy fuel as stipulated in the conditions, but the assembly rather provided the fuel to the tune of Gh¢55.00 to be used on his farm,” the findings stated.
The committee again established, as a fact, that “the bribery allegation against the DCE could not be substantiated and 10 of the respondents denied knowledge of such an incident taking place.”
On the question of being disrespectful to the Assembly members, it was established by the committee that because the members were denied some protocol treatment by the organisers of “Greening Ghana” and “Emancipation Day” functions, they felt slighted and thought the DCE must be blamed for such occurrence.
The committee also established that it was not true that the DCE awarded contracts without the knowledge of the District Tender Committee. The petitioners were misinformed by Mr P.K. Kyeremeh, Chairman of the Finance and Administration Sub-committee, out of mischief and ignorance. He was not aware of the composition of the District Tender Committee under the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (ACT 633).
The committee recommended that Nananom, Youth Groups, Opinion and Religious Leaders and Civil Society Organisations should embark upon a campaign to discourage and fight the canker of writing anonymous letters and petitions by the people in the district against political appointees and leaders to ensure peace in the District and efficiency in the performance of the assembly.
It further recommended that the Assembly should, as a matter of importance, constitute a committee to manage the operations of the grader and the tractor and a forum on Peace and Reconciliation should be organised by the District Assembly, comprising all stakeholders including Political Parties, Traditional Authorities, Opinion and Religious Leaders, Civil Society Organisations and Youth Groups. The regional minister may be invited to the event as a guest speaker.
The committee finally recommended that members of the Assembly should be taken through the Model Standing Orders of the Assembly to help them to build their capacity in the conduct of business of the Assembly.
The President expressed his gratitude to the committee for the expeditious work done.
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