[ 2016-06-28 ]

Justice Tsar Yao, Executive Director, EOCO

EOCO cited for financial irregularities
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has
been cited in the 2014 Auditor General’s Report
for engaging in financial improprieties and
management inaction, leading to a financial loss
to the state.

The infractions included money received without
an official receipt, excessive cash holdings,
purchases from non-Value Added Tax (VAT)
registered suppliers, fuel, and lubricants not
accounted for, payment of salaries for work not
done and the late submission of financial
statements for audit.

The directors of EOCO, led by the acting
Executive Director, Mr Justice Tsar Yao, appeared
before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of
Parliament yesterday to answer questions related
to the queries raised in the report.

Members of PAC asked the directors to improve
their performance, since the office which
investigates other departments and agencies was
not supposed to be committing such financial
infractions.

Mr Yao admitted that it was not in the interest
of EOCO to be given such a name tag since it had
the mandate to investigate other institutions.

He said he had been telling his team that “if
EOCO takes a frog, it is news, but if another
department takes a cow, it is hidden in a small
space”.

No official receipt

The report indicated that amounts totalling
$50,000 and GHC1,518,410 respectively paid into
EOCO Exhibit Cedis Account and two government of
Ghana accounts, between June and November 2012
from various payees were not covered by official
receipts.

Responding, Mr Yao said the cashier who failed to
issue the official receipts had been cautioned,
and she had since “repented”.

He said now receipts were issued for all money
received by the cashier.

Non-VAT registered suppliers

According to the report, the management of EOCO
overlooked Regulation 183 (4) of the Financial
Administration Regulation (FAR) 2004, (LI 1802)
and made purchases amounting to GHC74,960 from
non-VAT registered entities between January 2011
and December 2012.

It cited the EOCO management for deliberate
disregard for the FAR, which resulted in the state
losing revenue of GHC¢9,370 which could have been
used for development projects.

Mr Yao told the PAC the GHC74,960 was an
aggregate of petty purchases that EOCO had made
from legitimate business institutions. It included
purchases of some operational equipment.

He said EOCO ensured that it made purchases from
only tax-compliant companies.

Unearned salaries

The report disclosed that 20 officers who were
either dismissed, resigned, died or vacated their
post were wrongly paid a total of GHC53,974 in
2013, contrary to the FAR.

It recommended that the management of EOCO
recover the unearned salaries from the officers
and pay same to the chest.

Mr Yao told the PAC that EOCO management had made
efforts to recover some of the money, but there
was an outstanding amount of GHC37,891.

He said the management had written to the former
employees to pay back the money or face punitive
measures.

He assured the PAC that EOCO would retrieve the
money, saying that “EOCO will ensure that what
is due the state will be given to the state”.
Report to police

The Chairman of the PAC, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman Manu,
suggested to EOCO to report the former employees
to the police to facilitate the recovery of the
money.

Mr. Yao said EOCO would take the advice of the
PAC and report the former employees to the police.

Source - Daily Graphic

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