By William
Yaw Owusu
Thursday
October 04, 2018
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said it is
becoming clear that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is
attempting to frustrate forensic investigations into the activities of the previous
administration with the sole aim of stopping the party’s leaders from rendering
account of their stewardship.
The NPP also debunked allegations by the NDC that $6
million had been spent on forensic audits, describing it as nothing but bogus.
“But perhaps, there is a real reason the NDC is
attempting to misinform the public. Is the NDC seeking to pre-empt the results
of ongoing forensic audits with shameless cries of witch-hunting in order to
protect itself from accountability?” NPP Director of Communications Yaw Buaben
Asamoa quizzed yesterday.
Spurious
Claims
On Tuesday, the NDC, at a news conference addressed
by its General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, made spurious claims that the
Akufo-Addo government had spent $6million on financial audits.
It is unclear how the NDC came by the figure, but
they claimed it was the cost of financial audits they termed as ‘illegal witch
hunting’ exercise targeted at NDC appointees.
The NDC’s main concern is the recent leaked report
which implicated some party gurus who headed and managed six state-owned
companies and institutions.
The opposition claimed the Auditor General appointed
by John Mahama five days to handing over power to the Akufo-Addo administration
was not aware of the forensic audits, suggesting that the Auditor General, Yaw
Daniel Domelevo, is in bed with the NDC.
The companies audited included Ghana National Gas
Company (GNGC), Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Ghana Free Zones
Board (GFZB), Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST), Ghana
Standards Authority (GSA) and the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC).
NPP
Hits Back
The NPP hit back, saying “it appears Mr. Asiedu
Nketiah was on a mission to make noise and hopefully boost his reportedly
flagging campaign for re-election. Otherwise no logical explanation comes
easily to mind for his antics exhibited in a full blown press conference,
followed up with numerous media appearances.”
“Short of seeking to circumvent and prevent the law
from taking its course, it beats the imagination why the NDC is rushing to
discredit investigations which are yet to feed into potential prosecutions.
This is the same party, which barely recently boasted and challenged the whole
world to prosecute them if they were found to be corrupt. What has changed now
that there is a realisation of serious ongoing investigations to ensure
successful prosecutions?”
Genuine
Mandate
According to the NPP Communications Director, the
exercise carried out by the auditors was backed by law, saying “the reports had
been channelled through the cabinet ad-hoc committee on investigations.”
“In 2017, the Economic and Organized Crime Office
(EOCO), in pursuit of its mandate under Section 3 (a) of the EOCO Act of 2010,
(Act 804), and in accordance with Section 14 (3) of Act 804, engaged experts to
conduct preliminary audits and advise EOCO on reports of corruption and
malpractices in some state organizations.”
No
$6m
He said categorically that the NPP government did
not spend $6.8 million on the audits as has been deliberately and falsely put
out and explained that the UNDP had provided technical assistance to the office
coordinating the audits in line with Section 3(f) of the EOCO Act.
“The technical support from the UNDP is part of
their anti-corruption support and governance project and costs less than
$100,000. The mention of $6.8million is a total red herring aimed at diverting
attention from the substantive findings of the forensic audit and the genuine
questions that persons found culpable have to answer as part of investigative
processes.”
Mr Buaben Asamoa said the institutions involved are paying
for the forensic audits, adding “it would serve the public well if Mr Asiedu Nketiah
could be humble enough to apologise for bringing the UNDP and the government
into disrepute on the basis of a wild reckless guess, or at least reveal his
source.”
Completed
Reports
“EOCO, having been advised, has completed reports of
some of the investigations whilst others are ongoing. We hope the blanket call
to appointees of the former administration not to cooperate with investigations
will not be followed literally because a pre-emptive attempt to escape
accountability under a screaming smokescreen of witch-hunting will not convince
the Ghanaian public,” he said.
Mr. Buaben Asamoa said the Akufo-Addo government
will follow due process in the fight against corruption, adding “in the same
vein, we do not expect self-respecting servants of any government to resort to
polemic stunts aimed at diligent interrogation of their tenure of office since
such actions will not and cannot stop appropriate accountability measures.”
“We hope Mr. Asiedu Nketiah is not allergic to
facts. In any case, who is he trying to shield from the flames of
accountability? Is it the entire Mahama administration or characters thick in
the purported plots to create, loot and share? Schemes to create, loot and
share have been allegedly so well executed that many contracts inherited by the
current administration appear lawful but in effect are bloated well beyond
value for money limits.
The NPP also condemned the personal attacks on
Professor Edward Dua Agyeman by the NDC General Secretary, saying “nearly half
of the NDC’s press conference was devoted to casting aspersions on Dua
Agyemang. Further appearances on various media by Asiedu Nketiah followed the
same trend.”
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