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24 September 2012
Gov’t Blows US$700,000.00 On ‘Witch-hunt’
It has now become evidently clear that the National Democratic Congress-led administration was hell bent on finding pieces of incriminating evidence for the prosecution and possible incarceration of former Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani and Dr. Charles Yves Wereko-Brobbey, for their involvement in organizing the Ghana@50 celebrations.
To embark on an enterprise akin to a wild goose chase, the NDC government doled out a whooping, US$686.000(Six Hundred and Eighty Six Thousand United States Dollars) to a team of experts known as Professional Group (GHANA) to “provide professional support to the Government in investigating cases bordering on financial loss and economic crimes” by Mr. Mpiani, Dr. Wereko-Brobbey and others.The NDC government then led by the late President John Ata Mills in their determination to see the two NPP high profile officials caged, embarked on Sole Sourcing to contract the Professional Group to aid them achieve their objective.
The New Crusading GUIDE has intercepted a correspondence between the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Ebo Barton-Odro and the Finance Minister where the former forwarded the invoice submitted by the Professional Group(GHANA) for onward payment for their services.Barton-Odro in his letter dated April 26, 2012 to the Finance Minister stated, “I am forwarding to you an invoice submitted by Professional Group (GHANA), with respect to services rendered in the provision and procurement of Jubilee Toilets and sampled Souvenir for the Ghana@50 celebrations”.
“Their invoice in the sum of US$686.000.00(Six Hundred and Eighty Six Thousand US Dollars) payable in cedis at the prevailing rate is being forwarded to you to effect the necessary payments”, he wrote further.
The receipt of the US$686.000.00 by the Professional Group who are mainly Accountants and Financial Consultants with specialty in investigative audits, would balloon government expenditure on them in two transactions to over US $I million.
What is however not clear is what became of their report and when it was presented. Again, the date of payment of the fees by government is unknown.
Their latest receipt of money was the over US$300,000.00 paid by government in the infamous Isofoton case.
In that transaction, it would be recalled, the Professional Group (GHANA), was charged to investigate the judgment debt claim against the government by the Spanish company Isofoton SA.
Ironically, even before the Group could present their final report on 1st November, 2010, the then Attorney-General, Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrissu had already entered into a consent judgment with Isofoton on 29th September, 2010.
According to the CONTRACT FOR SERVICES document which this paper has sighted, Mr. Barton-Odro on 7th October, 2010, wrote to Professional Group and stated that, “As you are aware, Messrs Kojo Mpiani and Charles Wereko Brobbey were arraigned before the High Court for prosecution. However, they were discharged by the High Court and this office has initiated processes to appeal against the decision of the High Court. In the circumstances, I request that you conduct further research and investigations into the matter to enable us update our docket.”
The contract which was signed on behalf of the Group by one E.D Manful, among other things stated that US$2,000.00(Two Thousand United States Dollars) would be paid “for each day spent by the Consultant on work assigned to it by the client (Government)”.
Source: Gordon Asare-Bediako/New Crusading Guide/Ghana
