TEACHERS WANT EMBEZZLEMENT CASE CONTINUED (PAGE 29)

TEACHERS in Tamale have expressed their displeasure over the alleged decision to discontinue the prosecution of a former accountant of the Ghana Education Service (GES) by the Attorney General’s Department in a case of embezzlement.
The teachers have, therefore, threatened to embark on an industrial action if the docket on the case was not immediately returned to court for proceedings to continue on the matter.
The teachers further demanded that compound interest be paid on the total sum allegedly embezzled by the accused, Alhaji T. A. Mohammed, who they claimed had already been dismissed from the service.
At a press conference in Tamale the president of the Tamale Teachers Association, Mr Alhassan Osman, demanded reasons for the discontinuation of the case when according to him, investigations had revealed that the accused had indeed embezzled monies belonging to the teachers.
The monies were allowances and other entitlements due the teachers under the 2001 supplementary budgetary allocation for the payment of the affected teachers’ allowances.
As a result of the delay in the payment of the said allowances, the teachers in 2000 had to embark on a strike action leading to the closure of schools in the metropolis for three days.
According to the president, audit investigations later revealed that the suspect had cashed the money totalling over 81 million cedis yet failed to pay it to the teachers.
‘‘Some of the monies were allowances meant for disabled teachers, including guide allowances for blind teachers, bicycle and motorbike allowances,’’ he stated.
The accused, Mr Osman said, was subsequently hauled before the Tamale circuit court by the police.
He, however, claimed that for the entire period of the prosecution, the police were the prosecutors and not the Attorney General.
‘‘In August 2006, the Attorney General withdrew the case from the court and the judge was thereby forced to discharge the said Alhaji T.A. Mohammed for want of prosecution,’’ the president further alleged.
He, however, indicated that following subsequent protestation from the teachers, the accused was re-arrested and had since been granted bail.
The president showed documents relating to the earlier trials to the press.