New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the Dome Kwabenya Constituency, Adwoa Safo says the $504,000 the Central Bank devoted to purchasing gold wrist watches for retiring members of staff merits a parliamentary probe.
She added the Minority’s Financial Committee is set to meet over the matter and although she is not a member, she believes the leadership of the house will eventually haul the Bank of Ghana executives before it to offer reasons why they chose to waste public money on such opulence.
Hon. Adwoa Safo believes the Central Bank has breached the Procurement Act and must not be left off the hook easily.
“It’s irresponsible†describing the act of the bankers which has stunned a good number of Ghanaians as well.
In its defense, the Central Bank offered a statement containing the following:
"End of service benefits, as part of the conditions of service for staff, is a longstanding tradition of the Bank, an obligation the Bank has always fulfilled to boost staff morale and commitment to the goals and ideals of the institution. The award scheme has been the convention of the Bank since the 1970s.
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"In the year 2012, the Bank decided to procure the gold watches once every two years in order to control cost and make savings on foreign exchange."