Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak pledged to personally hold Peter Mireku, the former head of the Gaming Commission responsible for a GHS414,590.53 financial loss caused by a former employee for violating bond.
Speaking at a Public Accounts Committee meeting in Accra on Tuesday, September 30, the Minister disclosed that Mr. Mireku had not followed the proper procedures when he granted Moses Teye Mensah a paid study break.
Mensah eventually quit without fulfilling the required three-year bond.
“The commissioner was Peter Mireku, and on this particular instance, he did not follow the laid-down procedure for granting someone study leave with pay,” the Minister stated.
“Because of this, I’m going to insist that he is invited to pay the money,” he added.
The Interior Minister stated that because appropriate processes were disregarded, including the need for academic results at the end of each semester and unambiguous documentation, Mensah was able to take advantage of the system and avoid his bond responsibilities after completing his studies on January 30, 2025.
“Three things will be done,” the Minister said. “One, Peter Mireku will be made to pay the money. Two, the person who guaranteed the bond — a lady still working at the Gaming Commission — will be made to pay part. And three, Moses Teye Mensah will be placed on a stop list. Any day he returns to Ghana, he will be arrested at the airport and made to pay that money,” Muntaka noted.
Acting Gaming Commissioner, Emmanuel Siisi Quainoo, said the Commission has reached out to Moses Mensah on multiple occasion to recover the money but to no avail.
“I have written severally to Moses Teye Mensah. He responds, claiming he is pursuing another Master’s degree, but has not provided any school details or transcripts,” Mr. Quainoo explained. “He keeps tossing the Gaming Commission.”
Mr. Quainoo said the amount in question — GHS414,590.53 — is necessary as it could be used to cover nearly half of the Commission’s monthly salary bill.
He added that he has written to the Attorney-General and the Inspector General of Police, and is now escalating the issue directly to the Interior Minister for further intervention.
