Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By
William Yaw Owusu
Friday, July 18, 2014
The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) yesterday tendered
in evidence payment certificates issued to Messrs Construction Pioneers (CP) at
the ongoing Commission of Enquiry investigating the payment of judgement debts.
The company received €85.2million in addition to
£7million during the tenure of Betty Mould-Iddrisu when she was Attorney
General and Minister of Justice.
The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has already
confirmed that CP was paid millions for road project contracts some of which
the construction giant did not even execute in the 1990s.
An instance was the Akim Oda-Kade/New Abirem –
Nkawkaw road in the Eastern Region which CP never executed but managed to claim
loss of profit with interest from the Government of Ghana.
Appearing before Sole-Commissioner Justice Yaw Apau
of the Court of Appeal yesterday, the Executive Director of GHA, Michael
Abieteh Abbey said they retrieved certificates covering the overlay of
Biriwa-Takoradi road project.
However, he said they were still searching for the
Accra Roads certificate popularly referred to as the Makola project as well as
the Obuasi township roads project certificate.
The GHA has already testified that, the initial
contract sum for Akim Oda - Kade/New Abirem – Nkawkaw, for which payment was
made for no work done, was GH¢10.6million (¢106billion) with a foreign
component of 155million Deutsche Marks.
The Assin Praso – Yamoransa road the authority
confirmed as ‘shoddily done’ by CP also attracted a contract sum of
GH¢1.5million (¢15.2billion) with a foreign component of 28.3million Deutsche
Marks which was subsequently paid.
The Biriwa-Takoradi road was executed at initial
contract sum of GH¢2.9million (¢29.5billion) with a foreign component of
49.4million Deutsche Marks and evidence already before the commission was that
CP was overpaid by 44million Deutsche Marks for that project while the Obuasi
township roads were completed and the government issued a defects liability
certificate.
Mrs. Jacqueline Avotri, a staff officer of Economic and
Organized Crime Office (EOCO) formerly Serious Fraud Office (SFO) also
testified on the investigation the office conducted into the compensation
claims of some of the Volta flooded areas following the construction of the
Akosombo Dam.
She tendered in evidence documents covering Apaso
and Makango areas and said they were yet to retrieve document covering Pae
areas.
The acting Corporate Estates Officer of the Volta
River Authority, Emmanuel Tetteh Martey assisted by Patrick Mireku of the Legal
Department of VRA also tendered in evidence, documents covering compensation
for buildings, land, farm holdings as well as list of settlers of the Volta
flooded areas.
Seth Mensah Dumoga, Director of Legal Affairs at the
Ministry of Food and Agriculture testified in the compensation paid Carmichael
Family following the government’s acquisition of the 10,000 acre land for Aveyime
Livestock Project where there is a cattle ranch in the Volta Region.
He said the ministry’s investigation revealed that Messrs
Bator Agricultural Industries Limited had a link with W.F. Clarke Ghana Limited
who were the original owners of the livestock project and Carmichael family run
the project.
He also said the land was acquired from about 12
families but it was only the Carmichael Family that had been paid compensation
since the government’s acquisition in 1976.
Mr. Dumoga said the land acquired was intact and the
government intends to use it for a profitable venture.
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