SSNIT $72m scandal: Board, Management take steps to publish names

The board and management of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) have resolved to publish the names of all individuals associated with the $72 million software scandal.
They have also resolved to ensure full disclosure and the publication the findings of the audit firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, tasked with probing the contentious Operational Business Suite (OBS) deal.
These resolutions were adopted by the current SSNIT board at an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening.
In an unprecedented move, the newly constituted board decided to publish these resolutions, which also included the decision to sack the former General Manager of the SSNIT Management Information Systems, Caleb Afaglo, who was found to have secured the top job with fake degrees.
Dr. Afaglo was responsible for some of the variations in the controversial software contract that ballooned from an initial budget of $34 million to $72 million within a period of 24 months.
The public disclosures, SSNIT hopes, will clean up its image and position it to better serve the interest of the public and other stakeholders.
“The Trust will collaborate with Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to ensure that those suspected of breaches of the Law in respect of the OBS Contract are dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land,” a statement signed by Victoria Abaidoo Corporate Affairs Manager of SSNIT and released after the marathon board meeting, said.
Meanwhile, one important name already associated with the scandal, apart from Mr. Afaglo, is former Director General, Ernest Thompson. The software deal was initiated during his tenure.
Mr Thompson has even debunked assertions that the $72 million OBS system, is not functioning, denying claims by the current Director General, Dr. John Kojo Ofori Tenkorang,that the entire system is non-functional despite the huge money spent on it.