By William
Yaw Owusu
Thursday
October 04, 2018
Claims by opposition National Democratic
Congress (NDC) General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu-Nketia that Vice President Dr.
Mahamudu Bawumia has been using Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) helicopters
for his trips has turned out to be false.
At an NDC news conference in Accra on
Tuesday, Asiedu Nketia made a spurious allegation that when Dr. Bawumia visited
flood victims in the northern regions last month following the Bagre Dam
spillage in neighbouring Burkina Faso, the Vice President used one of Ghana Gas
helicopters which is a subject under investigation.
DAILY GUIDE checks revealed
that the Vice President actually used GHF
696 belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) which is different from the four
Ghana Gas Z-9EH helicopters believed to be in the custody of the military.
Later yesterday, NPP Director of
Communications, Yaw Buaben Asamoa (MP) confirmed in a news release that the NDC
scribe peddled “speculative half-truths and outright lies concocted in the pot
of his febrile imagination.”
“One of the biggest lies told by the NDC
General Secretary was that His Excellency the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in visiting flood victims to
distribute relief items, used a helicopter from the Ghana National Gas Company.
Lie, big lie.
“On
the contrary, the Vice President used a Ghana Air Force helicopter with
identity mark GHF 696. That craft is totally different in make and model from
the “Z-9EH” model craft that the Ghana National Gas Company is purported to have
purchased and which acquisition is the subject of a
forensic audit.”
The four Z-9EH helicopters, brought in
from China for surveillance by Ghana Gas during the previous Mahama-led
National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration at the total cost of $100
million ($25m each) was commissioned by then President John Mahama in September
2015.
Financial
Loss
According to a forensic audit report,
“the helicopters purchased from China National Aero Technology Import and
Export Corporation (CATIC), have never been used for the purpose of their
purchase, causing $54,800,000 financial loss to the state.”
It also said a loss of $5,958,366.76 was
incurred because “equipment for the helicopters were not delivered even though
it was part of the contract price” while another loss of $300,000 being “ab initio
training cost not fully utilized for its intended purpose,” was caused bringing
the total to $61,058,366.76.
The report then mentioned former Ghana
Gas Board Chairman, Prof. Kwesi Botchwey and other members like Dr. George
Sipa-Adja Yankey who was the CEO of the state-owned company, Eric Yankah,
Thomas Manu and Dr. Valerie Sawyerr, a former deputy Chief of Staff as those to
be held responsible.
At the news conference, the NDC scribe
said “it is on record that those helicopters are stationed at the Ghana
Airforce base being actively used by the Ghana Air Force and that it was one of
these helicopters that was used recently to convey the Vice President Dr.
Bawumia to Wa when he went to distribute relief items to flood victims which
have turned out to have been expired relief items for which his brother-in-law,
the Deputy National Coordinator have been suspended.”
He added “this so-called forensic audit
report alleges that the Ghana National Gas Company under the previous NDC
government caused financial loss to the state by purchasing helicopters which
cannot be found, that there was some loan to Ghana Gas Company, a component of
which was for the procurement of helicopters. Then these fake auditors go there
then produce a report that those helicopters cannot be found and then it is
widely publicised as if the previous management of the Ghana Gas Company has
taken money meant for the purchase of helicopters and these helicopters cannot
be found anywhere.”
No comments:
Post a Comment