The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is to begin investigations into some alleged ‘dubious’ land deals, which the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) engaged in with contributors’ money.
The investigation is expected to cover payments of over five million dollars to Premier Portfolio LTD, to purchase a land, which was allegedly fraudulently acquired.
A petition presented by Joseph Bediako, a former FONKAR Executive and Convener for the Movement for Truth and Accountability on Friday 3rd March 2017; to the crime office would serve as the premise for the probe.
According to documents that accompanied the petition, of which copies are available to the New Crusading GUIDE, the one and half-acre plot of land, located near the SSNIT guesthouse in Accra, originally belongs to one Mr. Nunoo, a businessman, who legally purchased it from the Osu stool in 2004.
However, a report from an investigator revealed that an unknown source at the Lands Commission transferred the land to Premier Portfolio without the notice and consent of the rightful owner in 2016.
Grippingly, SSNIT, a grantor of Premier Portfolio bought the land at a whopping Five Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars (US$5, 450, 000), according to the Sale and Purchase of Land Agreement between the two companies signed by Ernest Thompson, Director General of SSNIT.
Meanwhile, separate High Courts presided over by Justices Anthony Agade, and Merley Wood, returned the ownership of the land to Mr. Nunoo and instructed the Lands Commission to plot the said land in his name, which was done accordingly.
The return of the land to its rightful owner means, the hard earned monies contributed by workers to take care of their retirement in the near future have gone to waste.
All efforts by the New Crusading Guide to locate the premises of Premier Portfolio or contact its listed Directors have been fruitless. Interestingly, a quick check at the Registrar- General’s Department revealed that one Kwabena Duffuor and Akosua Fosuah Duffuor are the directors.
Joseph Bediako called for an intense probe into the whereabouts of the committed monies and queried when SSNIT will start pursuing contributors.
The convener is also pushing for the perpetrators to be handed over to the appropriate quarters for the prosecution to serve as a deterrent to others.
Bediako said it was a surprise that an organisation such as SSNIT would engage itself in such a corrupt deal and go to the extent of defending it in court.
“I look forward to a successful outcome from the EOCO probe, failure of which I will head to court”, Bediako added,
Bediako argued, “As it stands now, I do not trust any of the directors in both organizations. I believe it was an intentional act to create, loot and share public funds under the guise of a project”.
He disclosed that he would be uncovering many corrupt deals in public institutions perpetrated by some officers who worked under the previous government.
He said he welcomes government’s decision to appoint a special prosecutor as that will help bring closure to many corrupt practices under the Mahama government.
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