School feeding programme – File photo
A private citizen David Forthgill Bentil wants the Criminal Investigative Department(CID) to arrest and prosecute Richard Takyi-Mensah, Central Regional Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), and two others allegedly cited in Ghana School Feeding Programme(GSFP) fraud.
The others include Mr. Ebo Afful, Headteacher of Ekurabadze M/A Basic School and Mr. Kofi Acquah, the Headteacher of Tayido M/A Basic School.
This was contained in a petition by Bentil, a native of Egyaa in the Central region and forwarded to the CID for a full-scale investigation into the alleged fraud at the Ghana School Feeding Programme(GSFP).
This comes after a report by The Hawk newspaper on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 with the caption “Uncovering Sch. Feeding Contract Fraud Schemes (pt1).
The newspaper alleged that the Central Regional Secretary of the governing NPP, Richard Takyi-Mensah had received an amount of Ninety-Nine Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty Ghana Cedis (Gh¢99,120.00) as payment for allegedly cooking for 472 pupils of Ekurabadze M/A Basic School and Tayido M/A Basic School.
The petitioner believes there’s enough grounds for these individuals to be prosecuted under the law after a painstaking personal investigation into the alleged fraud.
“I took interest in the publication and commenced my own investigations into the story at Ekurabadze and Tayido M/A Basic Schools. Upon my painstaking investigations, it is proven that both schools have never been on the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) since its inception. I spoke to some teachers and pupils of both schools. I also spoke to some residents of Ekurabadze and Tayido who confirmed that their wards have never enjoyed any kind of feeding programme since the School Feeding Programme was introduced. Several attempts made at getting the Headteachers of both schools to comment on the matter proved futile as each of them rather in a strange manner, met me with aggression each time I tried to engage them on the matter. The conduct of the two Headteachers came to me as an indication of their likely complicity in the alleged fraud.
“It is important to state that the newspaper report indicted other persons who are involved in the alleged massive fraud at the GSFP. However, I have elected to focus on schools within the Anomabo Circuit due to my proximity to the two schools in the Mfantseman Municipal of the Central Region.
“From the foregoing, it is clear to me that there is a sound basis for full-scale investigations into the said publication of The Hawk newspaper. I am consequently, by this petition, calling on your office to arrest, institute full-scale investigations and prosecute where necessary, Mr. Richard Takyi-Mensah (NPP Central Regional Secretary), Mr. Ebo Afful (Headteacher of Ekurabadze M/A Basic School), and Mr. Kofi Acquah (Headteacher of Tayido M/A Basic School) for their roles in the alleged fraud which has cost the Nation and her poor taxpayers, a whopping Ninety-Nine Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty Ghana Cedis (Gh¢99,120.00). I am also calling for full-scale investigations into the activities of all government officials and other persons mentioned in the newspaper report in a bid to help rid the system of avoidable corruption and the looting of the public purse.”