A free market policy think tank, Institute for Liberty & Policy Innovation (ILAPI) has raised deep concerns about the GETFund performance audit report, suggesting a larger corruption scandal overlooked by the Auditor General’s report.

According to ILAPI, the Auditor General’s report on the GETFund scholarship scheme had some few gaps failing to reveal the whole truth about the “inappropriate administrative actions” undertaken by the institution.

Speaking in an interview on Rainbow radio on Monday, February 2, 2020, the Executive Director of ILAPI, Peter Bismark Kwofie asserted that “when the (GETFund performance audit) report came, we noticed that, the Auditor General did not cover some areas we expected them to. Per our analysis, we concluded that there are lot of other infractions which could have been exposed by the auditor General or any other investigative body”

Mr Kwofie asserted that, from the GETFund audit report, 3112 persons were awarded scholarships with only 89 names published. Out of the 89 names published, “almost five” have come out publicly to debunk being awarded a scholarship from GETFund or receiving money from the scholarship scheme. He argued that, since 5 out of 89 persons have denied being awarded a GETFund scholarship, if the full beneficiaries’ list of 3112 persons are published, it will reveal more “ghost names” as a many others will come out to debunk receiving any financial assistance from scheme.

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”We want to know if the monies paid to the 3112 persons according to the report, have actually reached these beneficiaries, or if there has been an issue of underpayment and overpayment. Also we want to know persons who did not receive any money at all but have their names included in the 3112 beneficiaries.”

Mr Kwofie also noted that, according to the report, some beneficiaries of the scholarship abroad, did not return to the country after exhausting their academic stay. Therefore, there is a need to probe further to know exact number of persons who did not return and the countries that had the most students not returning. This he said will help to accurately tabulate the financial loss to the state caused by the scholarship scheme and consequently make adjustments to it.

ILAPI has therefore petitioned the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to probe GETFund for “inappropriate administrative actions and decisions wastage of public funds, and causing financial loss to the state”.