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The New Crusading GUIDE investigation has unraveled a deliberate attempt by ex-auditor, Michael Quaye, to tarnish the image of University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) and its Vice Chancellor (VC), using lies and fabrications.
It would be recalled that in our Monday, July 13th edition of the paper, we carried a story with the headline “Plot Against NAPO, UPSA VC Exposed” that revealed this sinister plot.
Chiefly amongst the accusations is that the VC, Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey, spent close to GH¢. 2 million to acquire the state-of-the-art brand new V8 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle and E Class Mercedes Benz for his personal use when he assumed office in January, 2017, and that at the time of purchase, the University had enough vehicles for use.
Official documents available to this paper which appear to provide a response to the scurrilous allegation stated that “The cost of the V8 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle and E- Class Mercedes Benz is not Two Million Ghana Cedi’s (GH¢ 2,000,000.00) as alleged. The V8 Toyota Land Cruiser cost four hundred and eighty-six thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢ 486,000.00), while the E-Class Mercedes Benz cost five hundred and fourteen Ghana Cedi’s only (GH¢ 514,000.00). The total cost of the two vehicles purchased by the University is One Million Ghana Cedi’s (GH¢ 1,000,000.00).”
Our findings further revealed that Professor Joshua Alabi, was assigned similar vehicles, V8 Toyota Land Cruiser and E- Class Mercedes Benz as part of his conditions of service and that the models and make were the same, and that the Conditions of Service for the Vice-Chancellor has not changed, not to talk of being made worse off.
The process to acquire the vehicles, this paper gathered, was started in 2016 and captured in the budget statement for that year, whereas Abednego Okoe Feehi Amartey became Vice- Chancellor in 2017 and therefore could not have initiated the process for the purchase of the vehicle.
Professor Joshua Alabi initiated the process, and perhaps due to the fact that he took home the E-Class Mercedes Benz assigned to him as part of his exit package, he also took home the V8 Toyota Land Cruiser assigned to the office with the explanation that he was due for retirement in two years’ time (i.e. 2018) and therefore was entitled to use the official V8 Toyota Land Cruiser until he officially left the service of the University.
On the allegations that the current VC, in January 2017, used tax payer’s money to acquire the furniture and household items for his house, the New Crusading GUIDE found that the conditions of service document for the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra dated 16th January 2015 stated in 4(a) among others that: “As a former Vice-Chancellor you are allowed to purchase household furniture purchased by the University in your residence,” and on that strength, Professor Joshua Alabi, was allowed to purchase all the household furnishings in his house (including the office furnishing) which were all provided by the University.
It is therefore strange that Mr. Michael Quaye claims furnishing a Vice-Chancellor’s residence is a fraudulent activity. Even stranger is the fact that the former auditor did not find it wrong when as far back as 2015 Professor Joshua Alabi enjoyed the same Conditions of Service.
Our checks also revealed that the current VC has lived in his personal personal residence since 2008 and still resides there and has, as insiders say, refused to move to a plush mansion at Trassacco Valley which the University in 2016 had tried to rent for him as the incoming Vice-Chancellor.
The reason Management gave for the Transaco rent at the time, we were told, was that a Vice-Chancellor needed a more spacious and plush mansion to live in since he would be welcoming guests. If Prof. Amartey had taken that offer, the University would have paid One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for two (2) years. We have evidence that Professor Amartey renovated his house at his own expense and not the university’s. This is captured in the university’s official minutes which the New Crusading guide sighted.
Also on allegation that About 90% of all procurement activities in January to October 2017 were then procured for his residence and personal comfort, this paper learnt that the University’s expenditure for the year 2017 was One hundred and fifty-eight million Ghana Cedis (GHS 158M) and that the total expenditure on the furnishings for the newly appointed Vice- Chancellors residence was Two hundred and forty-six thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 246,000). Plus external auditors have audited the University’s accounts twice (2018 and 2019) and the records are there for all to see.
“For someone who claims to be exposing “fraud” and deliberately peddles falsehood is mind boggling. Without going into the merits of the case, let me state on authority and without an equivocation that the so-called “unqualified students” were employed in 2016 as Graduate Assistants. Those who were employed as Assistant Lectures have their letters of appointment signed by the then Vice- Chancellor Professor Joshua Alabi. The letters of appointment are available at the Human Resource Directorate for inspection. I assumed office as Vice-Chancellor on January 1, 2017,” the document noted.
Below are some of the documents
