Where Is all the Money, People?
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For the first time in a long while, I woke up feeling weird. My altered routine got me in a transitory swoon.
After saying fajr salat, I recited the Qur'an for five minutes, before I went back to bed again, man must celebrate his freedom, any least chance he got.
an hour later in the garden, under the first illumination of day, I dive into the 6m cubic creek in the course of the stream running through the garden.
I let the cold water engulf me whole, as I went down slowly, languishing in the serenity of the experience till I hit the bottom.
I stayed there for forty-five seconds before I resurfaced gasping for breath.
The target was 1min, but I couldn't hold my breath for that long, I am aging after all. This creek in this garden is the reason why I acquire this property. It's a treat.
At exactly 9am the call from the office came… "Hello".
"Assalamualeikum, brother" Tarik greeted, maybe a way to throw me of track by bonding us to one creed through this lofty greeting .
"Oh brother, I received your blessed salutation in kind and give back to you a better one there off" I added, knowing I have but one creed, and that is; the creed of no creed.
"Thank you, brother" Tarik replied.
"I hope you are all there, can we begin?"
"We are waiting for Rakaia; she is on her way coming" Tarik answered.
"Since it's going to be on record, I think we can do without her till she joins to catch up later" I said.
"What do you mean on record?" Felix asked.
"I mean, whatever we are going to discuss today will be recorded and filed, for reference sake. Those are my terms," I said.
"I don't think that will be necessary" Tarik replied.
"Diana, are you there? do you agree to Tarik's suggestion?"
"I am here kuga, I think I am with kuga on this one."
There was a long pause as I picture the non-verbal exchanges in the conference room on the other end of the line. I could sense Dr. Felix fuming all over, Tarik off course will hide his anger and act aloof.
"Did I miss something?" Rakaia voice came through as she sat down. "no, you are right on time" Diana answered.
"Good, let's get this mill grinding… Tarik will you like to start?" I asked…
there seem to be a long pause. "Shoot, Kuga".
"The company is running on a land mine; I wouldn't want to use technical jargon to explain our predicament....
"Can you simply go straight to point Kuga".
Diana insisted impatiently.
"Well, it's not as easy as you think, Diana".
"The point is we owe so much, the desk you are sitting on belongs not to wodmax group. statistically, it will take us more than five years to pay ten percent of our outstanding loan balances with the banks, under our current operations." I deliberately paused for this to sink in…
"What is he talking about Tarik? What about all the big projects that came through?" Diana asked.
"Incoming project funds are channelled to absorb liabilities it never incur. And since liability to asset ratio is 4:1…. it's like a drop of blood into a bucket of water....
....Is not like we are doing bad operationally, it's just that our return on capital is too poor. Seem like we have these monstrous ghostlike parasites under operational expenditure, sucking the Gross profit dry leading to deficits in the end of year report….
but that is not the worst part," I paused again for this to sink in, then I pursued;
"Tarik, do you mind telling everyone about the where about of the 20 million dollars that came in for the Ragtak and Tamak projects, that is my main concern: for I see no penny of that money on the projects it was supposed to run, coupled with huge sums transferred to private accounts in pseudo names which I believe is your doing.
Where is all the money people? You know, I and my team spent sleepless nights covering up the mess every time before the audit, three times in a row annually.
Thanks to the digital age and accounting software's, where there are opportunities to create back doors, we are able to escape scrutiny everytime. But I am no magician you know…."
"You don't know what you are talking about Kuga… you forgot part of that money is what we've used to prepare the oil fields for drilling?"
"No, so I did think, but is a charade right, for no work is actually going on on those fields, And the loan repayments are not reflecting, which means the final transfer never happened; nothing reflects Tarik? I did check it all out.
I did been trying to draw your attention to so many things....
And your gambling debts Tarik…"
"Don't even try Kuga, you don't want fly on that plane."
'spooky I think we finally nailed the crook…'
"Don't you even dare…" Tarik roared again.
"Rakaia, Diana; are you there?" I asked.
"We are here Kuga, how did you come by all this information?" asked, Rakaia.
"I think I am screwed, because I brought in most of those projects and I'm responsible for them," interjected, Diana.
"Felix, say something" Rakaia insisted.
"No, he wouldn't dare, he doesn't want to say anything that will incriminate him later, like the way I have incriminated myself in this recording, attesting that I did manipulate the accounts to temporarily cover our tracks. But nothing endures forever right. Dr. Felix is with Tarik all the way, and…
Perhaps, there is a way out of all this. So, if you are planning anything against me, rethink your options before taking any action."
"How are you getting us out of this Kuga?"
Tarik asked as I know he would.
"I didn't say I can get you out of anything. I said maybe there are other options worth exploring before the upcoming external audit four months away. until then, let's all sit tight people. And one other thing… I will be working from home."
"be wiry now boy, you know you are playing with fire right?"
"I know Dr, more than you could ever imagine… I was wondering when you are going to come out of your hard shell and show us your real face in its many colors."
He laughs his signature metallic laugh I know so well in the underground.
"How come I didn't sniff you out earlier?".
"Just like you, we all have ways of cloning the monster from within Doc".
"Alright, you want my attention, now you've gotten it boy. Be ready when the storm roars…".
"And the dark hole devour, the last flower…. Dr. do you know who wrote those lines?"
"Oh boy, what a lovely game we are about to play, you and I… hahaha" Dr Felix voice echo in the conference hall as I hang up…
That went well, at least I bought some time.
The game is on.
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