STAN DOGBE SENT TO PROTOCOL

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Reports reaching DAILY GUIDE indicate that embattled Presidential Staffer Stan Dogbe has been reassigned to the Protocol Department at the Presidency.

This was contained in the letter of the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, which relieved the acting Information Services Department (ISD), Francis Kwarteng Arthur, of his duties after the mess caused during the 59^th Independence Day celebration.

Interestingly, the aspect of the letter of the Chief of Staff on Stan Dogbe was not made public.

This means he will be working closely with the President and the Flagstaff House Communications Bureau will be handled by the Ministry of Communications until a new head is appointed.

Stan Dogbe has been accused of committing errors in the brochure, with allegations that the printing job was given to his wife’s company- EventPR.

However, Mr Dogbe, in a post, denied the allegations, claiming that he had never executed any printing contract for the Office of the President.

“The EventPR undoubtedly has one of the best concept, design and publishing teams in the country, but the company has never produced any document or publication for the Office of the President,” he stated.

OccupyGhana Goes To Court

Meanwhile, pressure group OccupyGhana says it is going to sue the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over the error-ridden Independence Day anniversary brochure that has subjected Ghana to international disgrace and ridicule.

The group has given Mr Debrah three working days to explain circumstances that led to the production of the brochure or face it in court.

The production of the badly edited brochures that were distributed to guests at the 59^th Independence Day parade in Accra last Sunday, March 6, which depicted visiting President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya as the President of Ghana, has set tongues wagging, with many questioning the calibre of the appointees of President John Mahama.

OccupyGhana’s letter, written yesterday to the Chief of Staff and copied to the Minister of Communications, said: “We have closely followed the matters surrounding the printing of brochures for the 59th Independence Day Celebrations and which have culminated in the relieving from office of Mr Francis Arthur as the acting Director of the Information Services Department, and the placing of the Flagstaff House Communications Bureau under the authority and supervision of the Ministry of Communications.”

According to the group, there was more to the story of the brochures that the government was not telling the public, in spite of the sacking of the Acting Director of Information Services Department who had claimed responsibility for the shame brought upon the country.

“As citizens of this country, we are not satisfied that this is the end of the matter. We believe that there is more to this matter than meets the eye, and that there is more information that the people of Ghana deserve to have, with respect to this matter.”

OccupyGhana, as a result, demanded to know which company or companies was or were invited to submit bids for the publishing, production, and/or printing of the brochures and requested for copies of any relevant letters or other communications.

“Were any quotations received from the company or companies; and if so may we have copies of such quotations and their covering letters, if any? Which public procurement procedure was adopted in selecting the winning bid? If it was single-source procurement, was the approval of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) sought? May we have a copy of any letter requesting approval and all attachments to it?”

OccupyGhana further wants the government to tell Ghanaians whether any public procurement approval was obtained, adding, “Was a contract entered into with the company with the winning bid?”

“Has the Ministry of Finance been requested to release funds for payment to the company with the winning bid; and if so, may we have a copy of any such letter? Did the Ministry of Finance approve any payment in writing; and if so, may we have a copy of that written approval?”

The group also wants to know if any payments were made to the company that undertook the transaction, adding, “Were any taxes paid or withheld, as the case may be, particularly with respect to withholding tax, value added tax and the national health insurance levy; and if so, may we have copies of any relevant invoices?”

Basing their request on Article 21(1) (f) of the 1992 Constitution, OccupyGhana said “considering the urgency surrounding this mater, we respectfully request that you supply the information requested herein within three working days of the date of this letter, failing which you should consider this letter as the written Notice of Intention of Civil Action under section 10 of the State Proceedings Act, 1998 (Act 555), effective as at the date hereof.”