[ 2015-05-31 ]

adb management frustrating fight against corruption – UNICOF
The Union of Industry, Commerce and Finance
Workers (UNICOF) has expressed worry over what it
describes as attempts by management of the
Agricultural Development Bank’s (adb) to
frustrate its fight against corruption at the
bank. “We have always been told that if there is
malfeasance, we should voice it for authorities to
deal with it. This is the case where we are not
blowing a whistle, its is virtually a vuvuzela
that is being blown but unfortunately, the
authorities are not taking the kind of action that
the people expect,” said the General Secretary
of the Union, John Esiape.

UNICOF is demanding the removal of the Managing of
Director, Stephen Kpordzih and the dissolution of
the board of the bank. It says the call is to
enable the Bank of Ghana conduct investigations
into allegations of financial malfeasance levelled
against the MD and the board. On Thursday, UNICOF
released a statement indicating that workers of
adb had embarked on a strike but the Minister of
Employment and Labour, Haruna Iddisru chastised
the group for their action. He told Citi News,
Haruna Iddrisu that the workers argument to
support the strike are not only misplaced but also
“misinformed.” However Esiape who is not
enthused by the lackadaisical attitude of the
management of adb and government towards recent
developments at the bank said :”If indeed the
authorities do not want us to do this, they should
come out clearly and announce that even if you
see any malfeasance anywhere don’t bring it up
and we will stop this action tomorrow”

According to him, their decision to protest is
justifiable since allegations of malfeasance had
been confirmed by the bank’s MD at a recent
press conference. “Indeed, the issues that are
raised have been confirmed by the MD in a press
conference that they held.Some have been confirmed
by the board as well. The questions and the
answers that were provided, you just do an
analysis and nobody will tell you that some of the
issues have happened.” Representatives of the
workers, UNICOF had earlier asked for an
independent audit to rather carry-out the
investigations since the Bank of Ghana is not only
a shareholder but also has representation on the
same board it is supposed to investigate. Mr.
Esiape defended calls for an independent audit
during a discussion on Citi FM’s News Analysis
Programme, The Big Issue, saying “the Bank of
Ghana is a shareholder and some of the issues that
have happened it[BoG] should have unravelled them
long ago. If the regulator [BoG]5 didn’t see
some of these things and it has to take such a
struggle to let them go back to investigate then
it is like going back to investigate
themselves.”

Source - Citifmonline

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