The dismissed Accounts Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Awuni Akyereba, has petitioned the Special Prosecutor to investigate the alleged payment of GHS 106,000 to some high profiled persons in the country.
The officer alleges that the cheque for payment was signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr. Oheneba Owusu-Danso on December 23, 2022.
In an interview with Citi News, the sacked Accounts Officer said management must account for the disbursement of the hospital’s resources hence the petition to the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
“Beyond the first petition to CHRAJ, I have also petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor against the Chief of Executive Officer over corrupt payment of GHS 106,000. It baffles me that the voucher for which the cheque was signed was payment to prominent people. KATH is a poor institution that lacks the money to give to prominent people. In the face of our challenges, it is in our place to give money to people?” he asked.
Already, the dismissed officer has sued the facility over wrongful dismissal.
The Accounts Officer, who alleged that the hospital had misused COVID-19 donations wants the court to quash the decision of the Governing Board of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital to dismiss him.
The court will hear the case on January 28, 2022.
Mr. Akyireba had petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, over the alleged misapplication of COVID-19 funds by the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer and a Medical Director.
The hospital’s management denied the claims, while the outcome of the Commission’s investigation has not been made public.
The hospital also said the dismissal was because Mr. Akyireba, breached its code of conduct.
The Hospital’s Board said his conduct is “reprehensible and unacceptable”.
Responding to this development on Eyewitness News, Kwame Frimpong, the Public Relations Officer of the hospital, said the hospital was yet to sight the suit.
He reiterated the hospital’s denial of the allegations, saying it had been transparent with the donations.
“Management has on several occasions accounted for how these donations we utilized. Again, there have been two independent audits of these funds.”
He also said Mr. Akyireba had benefited from multiple second chances after infractions.
“There is no staff in this hospital who has had that opportunity to amend his or her conduct. So it is not true that there is a witch-hunt against him.”
The hospital in an earlier letter said Mr. Akyireba had engaged in other acts of misconduct and was said to have used “abusive language” towards a superior.
Mr. Akyireba is also said to have avoided the physical service of an invitation to appear before the Disciplinary Committee.
“For avoiding physical service of invitation to appear before the Disciplinary Committee and eventually failing/refusing to appear despite glaring evidence that you saw the invitation, you commit a major offense under the Code,” the letter said.
“We will look at it tomorrow [Wednesday] if it is available and forward it to our lawyers, and he should expect a robust response from the hospital.”
Source: Ashantibiz
