EX-GAMING COMMISSION BOSS TO REFUND GHS414,590.53 OVER BREACHED STUDY LEAVE BOND – INTERIOR MINISTER

Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has directed that former Gaming Commission boss Peter Mireku be held personally liable for a GHS414,590.53 loss caused by a breached study leave bond.

The matter came up at a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing in Accra on Tuesday, September 30, where it emerged that Mr. Mireku had improperly approved a study leave with pay for staff member Moses Teye Mensah, who later resigned without serving the mandatory three-year bond period.

“The commissioner at the time, Peter Mireku, did not follow the proper process for granting study leave with pay. Because of that, I will insist he is made to refund the money,” the Minister told the committee.

He explained that safeguards such as demanding semester results and full documentation were ignored, enabling Mensah to complete his studies and resign on January 30, 2025, without fulfilling his obligations.

According to the Minister, three measures will now be pursued:

1. Mireku will be required to refund the full amount.
2. The bond guarantor, still employed at the Commission, will be made to cover part of the cost.
3. Mensah, who is currently outside Ghana, will be placed on a stop list and arrested upon re-entry to recover the funds.

Acting Gaming Commissioner Emmanuel Siisi Quainoo said the Commission had made several unsuccessful attempts to recover the money directly from Mensah.

“I have written to him multiple times. He claims to be pursuing another Master’s degree but has provided no transcripts or school details. He keeps evading responsibility,” Quainoo told the PAC.

He noted that the sum involved was significant, enough to cover nearly half of the Commission’s monthly salary bill. Letters have already been sent to the Attorney-General and the Inspector-General of Police, with the case now resting with the Interior Minister for enforcement.