The Minister of Interior Hon. Martin Amidu has justified the interdiction of four officials of the Ghana National Fire Service including the Chief Fire Officer, William Brown-Acquaye.
The Minister also refuted attempts by the embattled officers to allegedly blame the Board Chairman of the Fire Service Council, Hon Amadu Sorogho for their interdiction.
The personnel according to the Daily Guide of Monday October 25, are accusing the Madina-Abokobi MP for what they call ‘undue interference’ in the day-to-day running of the service. They also alleged that the MP had maneuvered to sidestep senior officers and appoint Albert Gaisie as acting Chief Fire Officer of the GNFS.
Hon. Martin Hamidu who denied these claims told Citi News that four persons were duly interdicted after thorough investigations by the Economics and Organized Crime Office (SFO) into allegations of irregularities in the procurement of fire equipment and other goods for the GNFS.
He said the Fire Service Council, after considering the findings of the Economics and Organized Crime Office, decided to interdict the officers. “There was an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office now the Economic and Organized Fraud Office into some allegations of procurement irregularities by the GNFS since April this year (2010). They submitted an interim report and eventually submitted a final report and also built a criminal docket into these allegations. So the interdictions were carried out through the due process of law as a result of the submission of the final report of the Economics and Organized Fraud Office."
“The report found not only the four people who have been named but two others who are not direct employees of the Ghana National Fire Service were also named culpable. So what the Council of the GNFS has done was to apply the law in respect of those four officers directly under its jurisdiction. Indeed five officers were involved. One has retired and its indisposed therefore the investigators were not able to hear his side of the story so his name has not been included. The other two who are not directly employees of the Ghana National Fire Service, their cases have been referred to their respective ministries and departments to take follow up actions”.
The Minister denied reports that the Chairman of the GNFS Council was unduly interfering in the running of the service and is to blame for the mess.
“I know as a matter of fact that Hon. Amadu Sorogho had nothing to do with the investigations or whatsoever. He and I were not even aware that those officers were being investigated until the last minute. The only way he came in was to sit on the Council of the GNFS as Chairman to take the final decision to interdict the firemen”
Source: Citifmonline.com
