A National Democratic Congress (NDC) communicator, Yaw Asani Tano, has raised questions about the accuracy of claims made by Professor Stephen Adei concerning the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
According to him, the claims made by the former Rector of GIMPA about the Ministry of Roads and Highways are true and there is evidence to support them.
This comes after the Ministry of Roads and Highways, petitioned the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), to conduct an investigation into an allegation made by Professor Stenphen Adei.
In an earlier media interview, Prof Stephen Adei, indicated that he has information to the effect that persons seeking road contracts are told ‘the road contracts will be given to you provided you pay 1 million upfront.’
Although the ministry has referred the allegation to EOCO, the NDC communicator, who was speaking on UTV, indicated that there is nothing untrue about the allegation by the professor.
Yaw Asani Tano argued that it is common knowledge that contractors are often required to make upfront payments before they are awarded contracts.
“In the first place I think we are not being fair to Prof Adei, because they didn't play the entire conversation they had in the interview. If they had played the full interview, we would have judged from the sequence to know why he made that statement.
“But again let me ask, what Prof Adei said, are we saying that what he said was not true, are we suggesting there is no evidence to support those, because that is the order of the day. With what Prof Adei said, there is nothing untruth about it, it is public knowledge,” he said.
Yaw Asani Tani further noted that some individuals who are not qualified for contracts but are awarded, will often sell them off to third parties.
This, he said, constitutes making payment upfront for contrasts that are yet to be done.
“Quite recently, didn't Wontumi allege that Mr Apkalu sold his contract to AB Adjei who forms a company who takes government contracts and sells them? Was that not an upfront sale?
“There are people we know that do not qualify for the contract they are being given. But for the fact that they are affiliated with party A or B, they win the contract and then they sell it. There is nothing untrue about what he said,” the communicator explained.
He added that most institutions such as the EOCO, have become appendages of the regime that is in power and so, the investigation will not yield any result.
“Even though I know that the petition by the ministry of roads and highway to EOCO will not get anywhere, because all our institutions have become appendages of the regime that is in power and for that matter, they are no more empowered but manipulated to adjudicate over issues,” he added.
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A member of the NDC Communication Team, Yaw Asani Tano