The Management of the New Times Corporation (NTC), publishers of the Ghanaian Times and the Spectator says it is taking steps to recover embezzled funds from its former staff.
The former staff, a cashier, Salomey Quarcoopome was flagged by the Auditor-General in his report on Public Boards, Corporations and other Statutory Institutions for 2023 for failing to account for more than GH¢100,000 belonging to the Corporation.
According to the Auditor-General, Ms Quarcoopomefor two years kept receipt books, tore serially numbered receipt leaflets of payments from some receipt books and other means to appropriate the money.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament in Accra on Thursday, Managing Director of the NTC, Mr Martin Adu-Owusu, said his outfit was pursuing the dismissed staff for the balance of GH¢70,275.
To keep the integrity of the office, the MD said Ms Quarcoopome has been sacked and the matter reported to the police for further investigations.
“After it was identified, we realised that some of the receipt (books) could not be found, she tore and kept some of the receipts and some of the monies too were not banked.”
The police, Mr Adu-Owusu said were assisting in the recovery and handling the criminal aspect of same.
He said the audit department of the Corporation has since been propped up with the addition of more qualified personnel to detect such deviant conducts in the future.
On debt recoveries, Mr Adu-Owusu said the NTC was taking rigorous steps to recover the over GH¢8 million owed the Corporation by some 45 organisations.
“We are issuing demand notices to our debtors” he said revealing that a larger share of the amount is owed by the government agencies – the ministries, departments and agencies.
“The chunk of this money is with the government institutions but the payment is slow and it is difficult to do otherwise,” he said and called on all indebted to the Corporation to honour their financial obligations.
A credit management policy, he said has been developed to fast track the collection and to effectively manage the Corporation’s credit management systems, the Credit Control Unit has been revamped.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI