There was drama at the Upper Manya Krobo District Assembly in Eastern Region as District Chief Executive (DCE) Emmanuel Kwesi Lawer, locked up three staff of the Assembly in his office over alleged embezzlement of funds before handing them over to the police.
Barely two months after assuming office, the DCE who has been a long serving assembly member, identified financial discrepancies in the assembly’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF) records.
A subsequent internal audit and investigation revealed that the District Finance Officer (DFO), Accounts Officer, and Revenue Superintendent had allegedly embezzled the funds from last year till the early part of this year.
Following the discovery, the DCE invited the three officials to his office on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 for queries.
During the meeting, he requested that the DFO produce three General Counterfoil Receipt (GCR) booklets suspected to be linked to the missing funds.
When the DFO refused to comply, the DCE reportedly locked the officials in his office and called the police to cause their arrest.
The intervention resulted in immediate recoveries of the said amount.
The Revenue Superintendent refunded GH¢5,800 on the spot.
The Accounts Officer also refunded GH¢27,600 immediately.
The DFO was escorted by police to Koforidua the following day, where he withdrew GH¢34,500 from his personal account to reimburse the assembly.
The total amount retrieved was GH¢67,900, which has since been paid into the district assembly’s account.
The Police is conducting further investigation in the matter.
The District Chief Executive,Emmamuel Kwasi Lawer reaffirmed his commitment to transparency and accountability in public service declaring a zero tolerance to corruption in the Assembly.
He said a comprehensive audit will be conducted identify and recover all loots that has happened at the assembly.
