Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, revealed a peculiar incident concerning the National Sports Authority (NSA) during a Joy News interview on Monday, February 5, 2024.
According to Sam George, a brand new pickup truck owned by the NSA mysteriously disappeared after being parked in an unconventional location, deviating from its usual parking spot.
He further mentioned that the vehicle was uninsured, adding to the unusual circumstances surrounding its disappearance. Additionally, Sam George raised concerns about ongoing illegal activities within the NSA.
“You know, there is the issue of the NSA vehicle that is outstanding. Just listen to the chronology of the events and draw your conclusion. The NSA always parks its vehicles in Kumasi at the Sports Hotel, which is part of the Kumasi Sports Stadium. Very close to it.
“The new director comes in, and a brand new pickup is bought. He gets to Kumasi with his driver and says, I don’t want you to park at the Sports Hotel. Go and park at a new hotel. The vehicle is parked at the new hotel; that very night, there is a robbery at the hotel and the only thing that is stolen is the pickup.”
“You are seeing theft. You are seeing blatant lies; you are seeing misappropriation of state funds. How do we continue like this? And the clear disrespect and undermining of his sector minister is mind-boggling. “Except someone is sitting somewhere and maybe the Jubilee House is backing what the sports Director General is doing; you can’t see this happening in any institution,” he lamented.
Earlier in the day, during a session of the Public Accounts Committee, Sam George engaged in a heated exchange with Professor Twumasi, the Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), and the NSA’s accountant.
The disagreement stemmed from allegations of mishandling funds received by the NSA during the Christmas period.
Sam George, a committee member, expressed bewilderment after the NSA’s accountant confirmed that a portion of the funds had been deposited into the Kumasi account. This revelation prompted Sam George to press the accountant for explanations.
The accountant explained that “Partly was lodged in Accra and the other in Kumasi. The invoices we issued to these two…”. He then gave a long pause that prompted a reaction from Sam George.
Sam George quizzed again ‘”Do you have an answer for the committee?” and the accountant replied, “Yes, Mr Chairman.” Sam George then asked him to proceed and give the reasons behind the decision to lodge some payment in Accra and in Kumasi.
The accountant then referred the question to the Director-General which prompted a response from Sam George who asked “But you are the accountant, lodgements are made to you so why is the Director-General of the NSA supposed to explain what your role is? Is it because he directed?
The accountant responded, “It’s because he is the spending officer.” Sam George was not satisfied with the response and pushed further “Lodgements of the cheques are different from the disbursement of the cheques so on whose order or authority did you lodge cheques made for Accra Sports Stadium into the Kumasi account”.
The accountant replied “The Director-General”.
The exchange between Sam George and the accountant dragged on until the accountant admitted that Professor Twumasi instructed him to deposit the money in the Kumasi account.
Sam George then turned his attention to the NSA boss, but Professor Twumasi appeared to struggle to address the concerns effectively.
This prompted James Klutse Avedzi to step in and take over the questioning. Despite Avedzi’s intervention, Professor Twumasi continued to have difficulty providing clear answers.
Avedzi, visibly displeased with the NSA’s response, announced that the committee would propose a forensic audit of the NSA’s accounts to the Auditor-General.
“I want to make a recommendation which will be put in the report. Listening to what is happening here, I think the place is in a mess,” said Dr. Avedzi.