[ 2017-05-24 ]

Dr. George Crentsil, CEO of Ghana Standards Authority

CEO busted in $1.2m bribery scandal
Dr. George Crentsil, Chief Executive of the Ghana
Standards Authority (GSA), has allegedly pocketed
an amount of $1.2 million (approximately GH¢5
million) he purportedly received as kickback from
a construction firm that did some work for the
Authority, according to the findings of an
Investigative Committee.

The firm, Lemet Construction Company, had been
awarded a GH¢15.2 million contract to build a new
training school and hostel facility for the Ghana
Standards Authority and for no stated reason was
found to have given an amount of $1.2 million to
Dr. Crentsil.

There were further allegations that apart from the
$1.2 million kickback, the same contractor
supplied building materials and marshaled workers
to complete a three-bedroom storey building for
the CEO at East Legon, a comfy community in
Accra.

Joy Fm first broke the story on Monday and it
sparked public interest, with calls on the
security agencies to take up the matter.

The station said Dr. Crentsil declined comment on
the matter when he was contacted. DAILY GUIDE
could also not reach him for comment on the
alleged kickback scandal.

However, the jaw-dropping report from the
Investigative Committee, set up upon the direction
of former Trade and Industry Minister, Ekwow
Spio-Garbrah, stated plainly that “the Executive
Director [Dr. George Crentsil] admitted taking
money from the contractor but refused to state how
much, stating it was a sensitive matter.”

According to the report, “It was revealed that
the Executive Director took one million United
States of America Dollars ($1,000,000) from the
contractor working on the training school on one
occasion.

“On another occasion he [Dr. George Crentsil]
again took Two hundred thousand United States of
America Dollars ($200,000) from the contractor.

“It was also revealed that the contractor
working on the training school provided materials
and personnel to complete a three-bedroom storey
building for the Executive Director at East Legon,
a suburb of Accra. The Executive Director,
however, denied owning any house or building at
East Legon. He also denied that he owns a hospital
at East Legon.”

The four-member committee was set up by the Board
of Directors of the GSA after an unnamed
management member of the company wrote a
whistle-blowing letter to Ekwow Spio-Garbrah.

“After I received the first anonymous letter, I
called the executive director of Ghana Standards
Authority and quizzed him on the complaints. But
when I received the second letter, I directed the
board to investigate the matter. I, however,
wasn’t able to take action because the report
was submitted when I was leaving office,” Joy
News quoted Spio.

The station also quoted the then Board Chairman of
the Standards Authority, Amadu Sorogho – a
defeated Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina –
to have said “a committee was set up at the
instance of an authority. We finished our work, as
the chairman, we read it; we confronted people
that we needed to confront and we sent it with a
covering letter to the appropriate authority with
the recommendations.”

More Revelations

The Investigative Committee, after seven sittings
and interviewing various individuals, including
staff of the GSA, said a witness had testified
that “one of the saloon cars allocated to the
Executive Director, and being used by his wife,
has on a number of occasions been seen drawing
fuel from the GSA.”

It also investigated an allegation that for
several years, the Executive Director collects not
less than GH¢30,000 every month using the names
of Mr. Sakyitey and Mr. Nagetey on initiations for
destination activities for himself.

It concluded, “Given the range of issues and the
time given to the Committee to complete its work,
and given that some of the issues are very
sensitive, the Committee thinks that there may be
the need for further investigations, especially
with respect to the money allegedly taken by the
Executive Director from the contractor working on
the training school, and the thirty thousand Ghana
Cedis (GH¢30,000) in relation to initiations for
destination activities.”

Source - dailyguideafrica.com

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