The incumbent Deputy National Youth Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Osman Abdulai Ayariga, has invoked the jurisdiction of the Office of Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (ACT 959) to launch a thorough investigation into the recent revelations of suspected corruption within the Scholarship Secretariat.
Following the investigative work of the Fourth Estate, which uncovered irregularities in the awarding of scholarships, Mr. Ayariga has deemed it imperative for the OSP to act swiftly.
He asserted that investigating these matters is crucial to safeguarding public resources and preventing any future instances of corruption.
“I wish to state that these matters ought to be investigated as a matter of urgency to forestall any future misappropriation of our resources.”
In his petition copied to A1 Radio, Mr. Ayariga also called for the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat to temporarily step aside pending the outcome of these inquiries.
“I hereby request that the Registrar be subjected to investigations and be made to step aside pending the outcome of the investigations to prevent interference with the investigative process.”
Below is his full petition:
“9th April 2024
THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR OFFICE OF SPECIAL PROSECUTOR (OSP) ACCRA-GHANA
Dear Sir,
REPORT OF SUSPECTED CORRUPTION AND CORRUPTION-RELATED OFFENCES IN THE AWARD OF SCHOLARSHIPS BY THE REGISTRAR OF GHANA’S SCHOLARSHIP SECRETARIAT – KINGSLEY OPPONG AGYEMAN
I, Osman Abdulai Ayariga, a former President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and the incumbent Deputy National Youth Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, wish to invoke your jurisdiction under Sections 2(a), 3(1)(g), and 79 of The Office of Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (ACT 959) to investigate all cases of suspected corruption and corruption-related offences unearthed by the recent investigative work of the Fourth Estate in relation to the award of scholarships by the Scholarship Secretariat.
It has become necessary to petition your office due to the despicable magnitude of abuse the Scholarship Secretariat under the current leadership has exhibited. I am, therefore, by this petition calling for a full-scale investigation into the activities of the Registrar and associated staff of the secretariat regarding the award of scholarships.
The investigative report into the operations of the secretariat coupled with audio recordings from Joy FM reveal the following:
- Damning instances where staff at the secretariat demand prior payments of commission from students seeking scholarships before such approvals are given. Some beneficiaries who spoke out publicly indicated they were made to undertake a transfer of a percentage of the approved scholarship amount to compensate for securing the scholarships.
- The investigation discovered instances where people received double sponsorship for the same course of study from the secretariat and other institutions. One such person is Dr. Dennis Addo, who received a total of USD 50,031 for postgraduate studies from the secretariat and also an undisclosed amount from the institution of study. Further details can be found in the investigative report of the Fourth Estate.
- There are instances where those who secured scholarships never undertook the courses but failed to refund the disbursed amount to the secretariat. A notable example is in the person of Fawzy Ramadan, a relative and special assistant of the Second Lady of Ghana, Mrs. Samira Bawumia.
- There are also numerous instances where the already privileged in society, such as Lucie Ekeleba, daughter of Freddy Blay, continue to have access to scholarships while the truly needy struggle to fund their education.
I wish to state that these matters ought to be investigated as a matter of urgency to forestall any future misappropriation of our resources. I hereby request that the Registrar be subjected to investigations and be made to step aside pending the outcome of the investigations to prevent interference with the investigative process.
I am counting on your ability to carry out a thorough investigation into the grounds stated above and accordingly inform the Ghanaian people of the outcome of the investigations.
Yours truly,
Osman A. Ayariga.
Source: A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHz|Moses Apiah|Bolgatanga|
