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The raging boardroom wrangling at the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) has reached alarming heights as both the Managing Director of the company, Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan and the Board Chairman, Mr Kiston Akomeng Kissi, have separately petitioned the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to intervene in the ongoing impasse.

While the managing director wants the President to launch an investigation into a decision by the board to disallow him from resuming his post as MD eight months after completing a 32-day annual leave in September last year, the board, on the other hand, wants the President to act on the findings of an audit report that indicts the MD.

A letter dated November 23, 2020, signed by Mr Kissi and addressed to Alhaji Alhassan, the board indicated that the initial report had uncovered financial irregularities to the tune of GH₵1,477,534 million.

The board asked Alhaji Alhassan, who was the former Upper West Regional Minister to proceed on his ‘outstanding’ annual leave effective Tuesday, September 22, 2020 to pave the way for a special audit to be conducted into the operations of the company.

Eight months on, Alhaji Alhassan is yet to resume his post under the instruction of the board, which has accused the managing director of mismanaging the company’s finances with reference to the findings of an audit report said to have uncovered financial malfeasance on the part of the MD.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, a distraught Alhaji Alhassan denied the accusation, saying that all efforts to get a copy of the said audit report to enable him respond to the specific issues had proved futile.

“I have been home for the past eight months without salary and that is not fair. To the best of my knowledge, I have discharged my duty diligently. If indeed there is an audit report which implicated me, then I deserve a copy so I respond to the specific issues accordingly,” he said.

Proceed on leave

President Akufo-Addo appointed Alhaji Alhassan as MD of the PMMC in March 2019.

In a letter dated September 21, 2020, signed by the Board Chairman of the PMMC, Mr Kiston Akomeng Kissi, and addressed to Alhaji Alhassan, the board ordered the latter to proceed on leave with immediate effect and hand over to his deputy at the time while an audit was conducted into the operations of the company from the period Alhaji Alhassan took office.

It further ordered Alhaji Alhassan to remain on leave until the conclusion of the audit and a final decision was taken thereon.

Responding to the accusation in a letter dated December 23, 2020 and addressed to Mr Kissi, Alhaji Alhassan requested for a copy of the said audit report “as soon as convenient for my response”.

In the interview, Alhaji Alhassan indicated that the board had declined his request till date while he remained on leave.

Chief of staff

In March, this year, Alhaji Alhassan petitioned the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, to compel the board to furnish him with the said audit report — a request he said was yet to be granted.

“It is clear from the turn of events that there is a grand agenda to remove me from office. This is an internal matter and I wouldn’t want to do anything that would disturb the stability of the company.

“It is for this reason that I want the President to intervene so that we can resolve the matter amicably,” he said.

Chairman responds

When contacted, Mr Kissi, who is also the Eastern Regional Chairman of the NPP declined to comment further beyond indicating that the board had petitioned the Presidency and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for further investigations and prosecution.