The Chief Accountant of the Electoral Commission, EC, Kwaku Owusu Agyei-Larbi, has returned the "missing" endowment funds, which were said to have been given to him for safekeeping.
Kwaku Owusu Agyei-Larbi returned a total of Gh₵436,402, though the Chief Justices’ committee asked him to refund ¢360,000 which he said was given to him for safekeeping and was awaiting instructions for disbursement.
On page 34 of the Chief Justice’s Committee reported that recommended the removal of the EC Chair and her two deputies, it was also submitted that Agyei–Larbi, be made to pay to the Commission the amount of GH¢360,000 he admitted had been in his custody in his office since 2016.
"If he is not able to pay the said amount to the EC, we recommend that he is charged with stealing,†the CJ's committee recommended.
The money was part of the issues that sparked the petition for the removal of the EC Chair Charlotte Osei and her two Deputies.
In 2016, Charlotte Osei filed a complaint with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) asking them to launch investigations into the misappropriation of the endowment fund of the staff.
As part of the investigations, the Office ordered that some officers cited including Deputy Commissioner, Georgina Opoku Amankwa, the Finance Director and Mr Larbi should proceed on leave.
In a petition dated July 3, 2018, to the presidency, Agyei-Larbi stated his readiness to swiftly comply with the report of the Chief Justice’s Committee dependent on his immediate reinstatement after the EOCO investigations.
Subsequent to the petition, EOCO wrote to the Electoral Commission on July 9, 2018, directing the Commission to recall Agyei-Larbi and he has since refunded the money in his custody after fully resuming work on Wednesday, July 11, 2018.
In a letter dated Thursday July 12, 2018 to the Presidency Jerry John K. Asiedu, lawyer for Mr. Agyei-Larbi said “Subsequent to the above developments our client has retrieved from the safe in his office an amount of GH¢436,402 with the approval of the Human Resource Director of the Electoral Commission to pay same into the EC IGF account at GCB bank. Attached hereto and marked “C†is a copy of memo endorsed by the Human Resource Director.
“He has paid the amount of GH¢436, 402 into the designated IGF account of the Electoral Commission at the GCB Bank on the 11th day of July 2018. Attached hereto and marked “D†is a copy of the GCB Bank Receipt as evidence of the payment into the account by our client.
“Under the circumstances, it is evident that our client has fully complied with the recommendations of the report of the Chief Justice’s Committee which was referred to your high office for implementation. Our client therefore humbly requests that this is brought to the attention of the Attorney General and all other necessary agencies tasked with the implementation of the Committee’s report.â€