The Economic and Organized Crime Organization (EOCO) has reportedly mounted a manhunt for Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko, a former Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) Limited following a warrant secured for his arrest.
Mr. Awuah-Darko, according to sources at EOCO, was declared ‘wanted’ after he allegedly turned down several invitations to explain some alleged payments and withdrawals from the state agency’s account during his tenure at BOST.
He is reportedly on self-imposed exile outside the jurisdiction, and is believed to be criss-crossing US, South Africa and sometimes as close as Togo.
EOCO is said to have secured an arrest warrant from court to get Mr. Awuah-Darko to explain his alleged role in the ‘rot’ at BOST.
Sources say there are several issues EOCO wants Mr. Awuah-Darko to explain, key among them being the allegation that he supervised the transfer of a whopping GH¢40.5 million from BOST to the presidency under John Mahama.
He is also wanted in connection with several cases of alleged lost of oil and dubious payments.
In a related development, a pressure group calling itself the Centre for National Affairs (CAN), has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor to initiate criminal investigations into what it claimed to be suspected illegal payments from BOST to the previous Mahama administration.
They claimed the recipient’s account was Chief of Staff’s Sundries Account No. 1, with account number 1018631473188 at the Bank of Ghana (BoG), and the alleged illegal transfers were done from August 2015 until early January 2017 when then ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) handed over to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after the December 7, 2016 general elections.
Shady Transfers
Starting from August 28, 2015, BOST reportedly transferred GH¢3.5 million, released GH¢3 million on October 2, the same year, and another GH¢3 million on November 12, 2015, while on December 23, 2015, GH¢20 million was transferred.
On February 5, March 15, April 15 and May 13, all in 2016, GH¢2.5 million on each occasion was transferred by BOST while on June 9, July 15 and August 24 in the same year, GH¢3 million was on each occasion transferred from BOST.
Later in September 29 and November 17 in 2016, GH¢3.5 million was transferred by BOST while on January 3, 2017, when it was left with just three days for the previous Mahama administration to leave office, BOST transferred GH¢3 million.
In the heat of the transition after President Mahama and his NDC had handed over, the NPP in Parliament hinted that BOST, headed by Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko, allegedly led a corrupt administration, siphoning money to Flagstaff House.
At a press conference, the NPP said that there were massive rotten deals under former BOST MD, with the Office of the then President, John Mahama and his Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, siphoning between GH¢2.5 million and GH¢3.5 million at the end of every two weeks from 2015, amounting to about GH¢40.5 million under the guise of security transfers.
Mr Awuah-Darko, a failed parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, was said to have sneaked out of the country immediately the NDC lost power.
He has since not been seen again.
Source:dailyguideafrica.com