GIPC scandal: Ishmael Yamson must resign on principle – Joe Debrah
A corporate and investment lawyer, Joe Aboagye Debrah has backed calls for the resignation of the board chairman of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Mr Ishmael Yamson.
GIPC has been rocked by a couple of scandal including splashing of controversial amount of money on its chairman’s birthday.
Mr Yamson had argued on Joy FM that he ordered the immediate return of a cheque valued GH¢20,000 to GIPC meant for his birthday, but its former Chief Executive George Aboagye has contradicted the claim. According to him, GH¢9,000 of said amount was spent on drinks on Mr. Yamson’s day.
Compounded by a cheque of GH¢4,000 issued to an NDC volunteer group, an issue currently under investigations, Mr Aboagye resigned on Wednesday. Following up to that, some have also called for the resignation of the GIPC’s board chairman.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday, Mr Debrah described the two circumstances as “worrying scenarios” and suggested that Mr Yamson must heed the calls and resign.
Joe Aboagye Debrah have commended Mr Aboagye for going against the “culture” where top officials refuse to resign in such situations in the country.
“On principle, if the CEO had to go on this matter, I think that the chairman also on principle has to go…especially when there are conflicting statements coming from the two top officials involved in this.”
He said even though one cannot presume to know what went on in the boardroom of the GIPC before those decisions were taken, Mr Debrah opined, “but from an outsider’s perspective, it is very difficult to situate these things within corporate governance principles”.
