SYNOPSIS:
1. Several allegations were leveled against
the Managing Director (Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah) by two directors of the
Company. (i.e. Director of Administration,
Mr. Henry Aidoo and Director of Finance, Mr. Stephen Armaah) and a
petition was made to the Board of Directors, The Minister of Water Resources
Works and Housing and the Presidency.
2. Pursuant to that the Office of the
President ordered the Sector Minister to conduct an investigation into the
matter.
3. Subsequently, the Managing Director, the
Director of Administration, and the Director of Finance were all asked to
proceed on leave in December, 2010 to allow unimpeded investigation to be
conducted.
4. The Minister sometime in February, 2011
during the course of the investigations visited the office of the SHC and met
with workers at a durbar. He informed them that after the investigation the
report will be sent to H.E. John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of
Ghana, for advice and further action.
5. Contrary
to the aforesaid a letter dated 27th May, 2011 from the Hon. Alban
S.K. Bagbin, MP Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing directed the
Board Chairman (Mr. Steve Akuffo) to recall the Managing Director (Mr. Mark
Ankrah) to duty. Because the investigation has been completed and the report
duly submitted. But the said letter
failed to state the fate of the other two directors (.i.e. Director of
Administration, Mr. Henry Aidoo and Director of Finance, Mr. Stephen Armaah)
6. The
two Directors were by a letter dated 8th June, 2011 signed by the
Managing Director, Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah pursuant to a letter also dated 8th
June, 2011, from the Hon. Alban S.K. Bagbin, MP and Minister of Water Resources,
Works and Housing directed the Director of Administration, Mr. Henry Aidoo and
Director of Finance, Mr. Stephen Armaah to report at the Ministry of Water
Resources Works and Housing for re-assignment.
7. This directive was contrary to what the
Minister told the staff at the durbar aforesaid as well as the recommendations
made in the report.
8. This move by the Minister with the full
consent of the Board is only geared to allow Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah cover up
his corrupt acts, namely;
a. Sale
of House No. 40 North Labone, which belongs to the Ministry of Finance and
Economic Planning as legitimate owners, to a private person (one Justice
Hammond). And indeed upon resumption of duty the Managing Director has been
seen working feverishly on the property file to cover up the SYNDICATE
referred to in the Ministerial Report.
b. The
sale of a plot of land at North Kaneshie to Tonbico Pharmacy, which plot of
land is a matter of dispute between the SHC and DIC.
c. The
double sale of land at Frafraha, Adentan firstly to one Alhaji Amin Tijani and
his wife and then to MR. LOVELANCE DENNIS and his wife MRS. HOOGENBOOM DENNIS,
has resulted in a court suit pending at
the High Court, Land Division, Accra, intutiled;
IN THE HIGH COURT OF
JUSTICE
LAND DIVISION
ACCRA
SUIT NO. FAL/253/
MR.
LOVELANCE DENNIS & MRS. HOOGENBOOM DENNIS
VRS.
1. ALHAJI
AMIN TIJANI
2. HAJIA
FARZIYYA TIJANI
3. STATE
HOUSING COMPANY
4. LANDS COMMISSION
d. Conflict
of interest on the part of the Managing Director (Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah) who
tried to smuggle his private Company Phf Ltd. a Housing and Estate Development
Company, where he is still the Chief Executive Officer (i.e. Director and
Shareholder) to partner SHC (also a Housing and Estate Development Company) in
business. Mr. Ankrah admitted before Hon. Hannah Bessiew,
Deputy Minister of Water Resourses, Works and Housing, when the matter came up
in 2010 that he conceded that it was an administrative lapse that he did not resign
his post as Director of Phf.Ltd before taking up the post of Managing Director
of SHC.
He further employed one Kenneth William
Adokoh who is the Mgr. Strategy and Policy Implementation of Phf Ltd to work
and drew salary at SHC.
e. Personally
accepting cheques contrary to the financial procedure of SHC for the transfer
of property which later bounced on presentation at the Bank when indeed he had
long before granted the consent of SHC to the transferee.
f. The
Managing Director (Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah) on several occasions maintained
that he cannot be removed from office by anyone. This is so because he has
links with the Ahowi brothers, whom he sold a plot of land at Dansoman
belonging to SHC to their sister to operate her preparatory School (MAY DAY
MONTESSORI AND PREPARATORY SCHOOL), the said plot of land has been a long
standing issue as to the exact ownership, and a lot of gurus in the ruling NDC
and a lot of high profile government officials.
9. Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah is well known
in the corridors of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, soon
after establishing his Phf. Ltd, soliciting for contracts and his intention of
propagating his so called “Social Housing”.
10. When the position of Managing Director
became vacant in 2008, after the Managing Director, Mr. Kwaku Sarpong,
(deceased) went on retirement, He lobbied for the position under the then NPP
administration but was not successful.
11. It was only when the NDC took over the
administration of the state and during the tenure of Hon. Albert Abongo as
Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing, that the Board of SHC choose to
appoint without due process.
12. Again, on an application for consent to use
a leased property of SHC as collateral for a loan or mortgage from any financial
institution will attract a percentage
fee (1% to 2.5%) on the amount being sought by the lessee. This is clearly
inconsistent with the Mortgage Decree.
13. All these and more were part of the
allegations leveled against the Managing Director (Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah)
which the Minister and the Board have tried to sweep under the carpet.
14. The resumption of duty of the Managing
Director (Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah) has caused fear and panic among staff of
the SHC who especially were against his style of leadership and his corrupt
acts. In fact he has started asking some staff to go on leave contrary to
section 27 of the Labour Act, 651, 2003.
15. Staff have been warned by the Hon. Alban S.K.
Bagbin, MP and Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing that if they do
not cooperate and work with the Managing Director (Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah)
and go on to agitate then the Company would be put on divestiture or closed
down. Anybody caught leaking information to the Press or intends to agitate will
be dealt with.
PLEA OF MAJORITY OF STAFF
1. The humble wish of majority of Staff is
for President John Evans Atta Mills to SET
ASIDE the Ministerial Report dated May, 2011 and institute a fresh
investigation to be conducted by an independent body beside the Board and the
Ministry. This will unravel THE CORRUPT
ACTS perpetrated by the Managing Director (Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah).
Workers believe that the Minister did not tell the President the whole truth.
2. Substantial evidence were deliberately overlooked by the
investigating Committee, and more have been discovered, and if same is tendered
for scrutiny will manifest the truth about the corrupt acts aforesaid.
3. The threats of closure or otherwise of SHC by Hon. Alban S.K. Bagbin, MP and
Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing to the effect that if workers
who are about 120 in number, nationwide, do not cooperate and work with the
Managing Director, Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah is most unfortunate.
4. Mr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah is now running
State Housing Co. Ltd like his Phf. Ltd creating opportunities for his partners
and friends to benefit financially from the vast resources in terms of land to
acheive their cooperate agenda, which they can not as private firms.
