THE WOES of timber mogul, Mr. John Owusu Amankwah, a board member of the Forestry Commission (FC), and Managing Director (MD) of Jowak Sawmills Limited, who is being haunted by the Forestry Commission (FC) to settle an indebtedness, is far from over.

President John Evans Atta Mills, who has declared his intention to fight corruption with alarcrity, has orderd the immediate removal of Mr. John Owusu Amankwah from the FC board.

In his quest to further ensure transparency and accountability, the President has also given a one-week ultimatum to the MD of Jowak Sawmills Limited, who contrary to the ¢12billion cedis we published earlier, is indebted to the FC to the tune of over ¢26 billion, to settle the debt and withdraw all the legal cases, he (Mr. Amankwah) took against the FC.

In a letter dated 23rd November, 2009, signed by the Secretary to the President, Mr. J. K. Bebaako-Mensah, to Mr. John Owusu Amnakwa, and copied to the Board Chairman of the FC, the President expressed concern over the huge debt.

In the letter, under the caption, "Indebtedness to the Forestry Commission," the President wrote: "This Office's attention has been drawn to the fact that Jowak Sawmills Limited, of which you are the Managing Director, is indebted to the Forestry Commission in the sum of GH¢2,637,190.83. It has further revealed that your company has a pending suit at the Accra Fast Track High Court against the Forestry Commission. In the light of the above, I have been directed by H. E, the President, to request you to make good the amount owed to the Commission, and withdraw the case from court within a week from date of this letter, or resign your membership from the Board of Commissioners.

According to the President's secretary, "This decision has been taken, because it is considered that your continued membership of the Board, whilst you are indebted to the Commission, will seriously compromise the integrity of the Board, and will also amount to a conflict of interest."

Finally Mr. Bebaako-Mensah stated, "I shall be grateful if you can take note of H. E. the President's directive, and comply."

The MD has come under intense pressure from the members of the FC to defray the debt, which he has failed to do.

It would be recalled that in our Tuesday, this week, edition of The Chronicle, we indicated that the austerity measures put in place by President Mills might suffer a jolt as a result of board member's indebtedness to the FC.

The letter from the Presidency to the Board Chairman of the FC was received on the 28th of last month.

A source close to the Presidency, also told The Chronicle that President Mills, who was far away in Trinidad and Tobago when the report on the Jowak's indebtedness was carried by The Chronicle on Tuesday, this week, was not happy with our headlines which sought to create the impression that Mr.John Owusu Amankwah was a friend to him (Mills), which the source said was not true.

The source further narrated that President Mills only got to know Amankwah's indebtedness a little over a week ago, and he immediately instructed his Secretary to write the above letter to the debtor, and the directive that he should be removed from the board, if he fails to settle the debt within the stipulated period.