Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By
William Yaw Owusu
Thursday, July 31, 2014
The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has tendered in
evidence at the ongoing Commission of Enquiry investigating the payment of
judgement debts, more payment certificates issued to Messrs Construction
Pioneers (CP) for the construction of roads in the country.
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 between 2009 and 2011, a move that has aroused the
public’s suspicion about how the payments were determined.
The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has already told
the commission presided over by Justice Yaw Apau of the Court of Appeal that CP
was paid millions for road project contracts some of which the construction
giant did not even execute in the 1990s.
They cited 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.
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.
The GHA has already retrieved certificates covering
the overlay of Biriwa-Takoradi road project and tendered before the commission
but the Accra City Centre Improvement Project certificate was still not found.
Executive Director of GHA, Michael Abieteh Abbey told
the commission yesterday that the GHA submitted the payment certificate for the
Obuasi Township Roads contract to CP but were still searching for certificate
for the Accra City Centre Improvement Project.
He said they were also searching for back-ups for all
the payment certificates issued to CP and asked the commission to contact the
Department of Urban Roads (DUR) to provide payment certificate for the Accra
City Roads Projects since GHA did not award those contracts.
Mr. Abbey also tendered in evidence a compilation of
what he called a reconstructed CP judgement debt issue saying “a few people
were there when CP was working and they have confirmed some of the issues for
us.”
Justice Apau commended the GHA boss for always
wanting to assist the commission with its works saying “you are one of the few
heads who attend our sittings personally.”
Adentan
Lands
Earlier, Nii Adjei Kpobi Asaawa II who claims to be
the head of Agbawe Family in La, Accra and who are claiming compensation for
the Adentan lands compulsorily acquired by the government for the then State
Housing Corporation also testified.
Evidence before the commission is that another chief
Nii Sowah Okataban II is also claiming similar compensation since 1993.
Nii Asaawa II said the family sued the SHC, SSNIT
and the AG to force the government for compensation but it has proved futile.
He said when they put in a claim in 1993 for
1,395.11 acres, the valuation was about ¢4.420 billion.
Justice Apau however, advised the factions to settle
their differences before approaching the State Housing Company since the SHC
had made it clear it was willing to negotiate with a united front.
EOCO
Testimony
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 Pai
areas.
She said the outstanding report for the Pai flooded
areas was still not retrieved but added that SFO handed copies to the Ministry
of Finance who had asked them to conduct the investigation.
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