TIG Post

Tag: Ministry of Defence

  • GH¢122.8 million duplicated claims under Dominic Nitiwul uncovered

    GH¢122.8 million duplicated claims under Dominic Nitiwul uncovered

    The Ministry of Defence has been found to have submitted duplicated and re-recorded claims amounting to some GH¢122.8 million to the Ministry of Finance for payment prior to the departure of former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Bimbilla in the Northern Region.

    The Mahama administration, which inherited liabilities from the Akufo-Addo era, would have settled the claims but for a decision to conduct an audit.

    For instance, a contract between the Ministry of Defence and a company for the supply of vehicles, at a cost of GH¢ 4.8 million, intended for border surveillance and monitoring during the 2024 general election, revealed serious discrepancies.

    Despite the issuance of a Stores Receipt Advice (SRA), an official document dated 12 October 2024 confirming that goods had been received, the vehicles were never delivered.

    The same ministry, under Nitiwul, was also found to have recycled invoices worth GH¢40.9 million that had already been paid. The former teacher held the Defence portfolio for eight years under the Akufo-Addo administration.

    The findings form part of a broader audit review of government arrears and payables totalling GH¢68.7 billion, which was presented to Parliament on Tuesday, 10 March, by Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem on behalf of Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson.

    The recycling of already paid Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) and invoices was part of claims totalling GH¢4.4 billion that had been settled between 2020 and 2024 but were fraudulently resubmitted for payment.

    These recycled claims originated from several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), including the Ministry of Roads and Highways (GH¢3.6 billion), Ministry of Health (GH¢384.8 million), Ministry of Energy (GH¢216.7 million), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (GH¢57 million), Independent Power Producers (GH¢36.4 million), Ministry of Finance (GH¢26.4 million), and the Ministry of the Interior (GH¢3.1 million).

    “Mr Speaker, but for our vigilance, the Ghanaian taxpayer would have lost a colossal GH¢4.4 billion in these recycled claims,” the Deputy Finance Minister told Parliament.

    The Defence Ministry was also found to have recorded expired contracts as fresh liabilities, reporting GH¢77.1 million in outstanding claims for which IPCs and invoices had been issued, even though the contracts had lapsed and the required deliveries had not been made.

    During Nitiwul’s tenure, the ministry procured Soviet-era armoured vehicles reportedly more than five decades old at a cost exceeding US$10 million.

    The specialised vehicles, which had previously been scrapped by the Azerbaijani government, were acquired by the Akufo-Addo administration and commissioned for use by Ghanaian troops on a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

    It remains unclear whether this procurement formed part of the audit review. The vehicles, which were fitted with mounted weapons, are no longer in use, having been described as unsuitable and in poor condition, perforated, leaking and broken down beyond repair.

    Auditors also uncovered transactions worth GH¢9.4 million, supported by forged Stores Receipt Advices, which were used to justify payment requests for goods that were not delivered.

    In a separate development, the Judicial Service was also cited in connection with falsified SRAs. An SRA dated 25 October 2024 indicated the receipt of seven Toyota saloon cars. However, following the commencement of the audit, the supplier wrote to the Judicial Service on 10 April 2025, indicating that it was unable to deliver the vehicles as scheduled.

    The development revealed that fraudulent documentation had been submitted to the Ministry of Finance to support payment claims. Authorities say steps have since been taken to prevent a recurrence.

    According to the Deputy Finance Minister, the cases point to a troubling pattern of fraud capable of exposing the state to significant financial losses.

    The audit further revealed that several MDAs lacked adequate records of their contractual commitments, payments made and outstanding obligations. As a result, the Government was often reliant on contractors and suppliers to determine the extent of its liabilities a situation officials say underscores the need for an urgent review and redesign of the public financial management framework.

    Auditors also identified duplicated and overstated claims by MDAs totalling GH¢1.4 billion. Among the institutions cited were the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (GH¢408.31 million), Ministry of Energy (GH¢386.71 million), National Service Scheme (overstated arrears of GH¢334.5 million), Ministry of Roads and Highways (GH¢125.65 million), Ministry of Health (GH¢114.2 million), and the National Commission for Civic Education (GH¢8.8 million).

    Source: theheraldghana.com

  • Russian Ministry of Defence building fire mystery

    Russian Ministry of Defence building fire mystery

    Reports of a fire at the Moscow Ministry of Defence have been rejected by Russia.

    Social media videos from late last night showed white smoke rising over the structure on Frunzenskaya Embankment.

    The video’s original poster claimed that the “burning smell is awful.”

    Initial reports said that a balcony of the Soviet facility was caught in flames, however officials later denied this.

    ‘The presence of a fire has not been confirmed, as no fire was detected by the fire brigade upon arrival,’ the Emergencies Ministry stressed.

    ‘Neither is there any information about victims.’

    It is yet unclear if authorities were seeking to cover up the incident to avoid panic among residents.

    The ‘Liberty of Russia’ Legion, which is made of Russian citizens opposing the war and the Kremlin regime, shared a picture of the alleged fire on Twitter.

    Though yet unverified, it showed smoke filling up the sky above the capital.

    ‘A nighttime fire in Moscow. Smoke is in Defence Ministry. Unknown patriots are smoking?’ the tweet read.

    It comes amid high alert over sabotage attacks on key facilities in Russia by anti-Putin partisans.

    Earlier this month, a small explosion apparently caused by two drones took place at the Kremlin.

    At the time, Moscow described its as an attempt on the life of the president, and it blamed Ukrainian and the US intelligence for being behind the attack.

  • Equipment plan for the Ministry of Defense is ‘out of date’ – MPs

    Equipment plan for the Ministry of Defense is ‘out of date’ – MPs

    According to a group of MPs, the Ministry of Defence‘s equipment strategy is “out of date” and disregards the lessons learnt from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

    The MoD’s 10-year plan, according to the Public Accounts Committee, revealed a “broken system,” which could jeopardize the UK’s capacity to support Nato.

    Although the MoD was praised for its rapid action in assisting Ukraine, a damning study released today claimed there isn’t “sufficient urgency” to provide new capabilities required by our own armed forces.

    The report says there are doubts over whether the equipment plan is flexible and responsive enough, and that there is an ‘optimism bias’ affecting budget planning because it ignores the worsening economic environment.

    The MoD has forecast a deficit of £2.6 billion in the first seven years of the 10-year plan – without including external cost pressures such as inflation and foreign exchange movements.

    The plan relies on having a budget surplus of £5.2 billion in the final three years of the plan, as well as achieving all of the department’s efficiencies and savings to cut project costs by £30.4 billion.

    The report concludes that the MoD needs to ‘urgently reassess’ how affordable its equipment procurement and support programmes are.

    Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, deputy chair of the committee, said: ‘If the MoD does not act swiftly to address the fragility of its supply chain, replenish its stocks and modernise its capabilities, the UK may struggle to maintain its essential contribution to Nato.

    ‘The 2022/23 equipment plan is already somewhat out of date. It doesn’t reflect the lessons emerging from Ukraine, more than a year in. And every year it’s the same problems – multibillion-pound procurement problems.

    ‘Equipment arrives in service many years late and significantly over budget, and some of it just isn’t arriving at all.

    ‘The MoD still does not have or seem to be able to attract the skills it needs to deliver the plan.

    ‘Neither taxpayers nor our armed forces are being served well. There needs to be meaningful change of this broken system.

    ‘The department needs to break from this cycle of costly delay and failure and deliver a fundamental, root-and-branch reform of defence procurement.’

    John Healey, Labour’s shadow defence secretary, said: ‘The Conservatives are failing to secure Britain’s national defence for the future.

    ‘This report reinforces the serious questions over critical capabilities and the ability to field a war fighting division which are threatening to undermine the UK’s contribution to the Nato.

    ‘Ministers must ensure our troops have the right kit to fight and fulfil our Nato commitments.

    ‘Labour would apply a ‘Nato test’ to major defence programmes to ensure our alliance obligations are on track.’

    An MoD spokesperson said: ‘The Public Account Committee’s assessment that our equipment plan does not align with the lessons learnt from the Ukraine conflict is unsubstantiated.

    ‘The lessons we have seen from Ukraine have largely confirmed our 2019 warfighting analysis, which underpinned our subsequent investment decisions, meaning we have not needed to substantially reform our equipment pipeline.

    ‘Nor do we recognise the broken procurement system painted by this report. The department routinely assesses time, cost and risk factors on all projects, and delivers the vast majority on time and in budget, and we have made numerous changes to improve procurement practices where projects have fallen short.

    ‘Some of these projects are decades long, and many of our reforms will take time to deliver results.’

  • The alleged leak of UK special troops in Ukraine might endanger lives

    The alleged leak of UK special troops in Ukraine might endanger lives

    A senior legislator alleged that allegedly leaked information regarding UK special troops in Ukraine might “endanger lives.”

    The records, which were allegedly obtained through the social networking site Discord, could be hazardous to UK troops, according to Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Commons defense select committee.

    However, the Ministry of Defence claimed that the leak was inaccurate to a “serious level” and should not be believed at face value.

    An unidentified person allegedly published purportedly classified US documents on Discord, spelling them out and adding their own comments before publishing screenshots of the materials.

    Said posts went unnoticed outside of the chat until a few weeks ago, when they began to circulate more widely online.

    Analysis from the Associated Press could not independently confirm many of the details shared, and the original chatroom has been deleted.

    Mr Ellwood said: ‘Given our long-established lead in scale and capability when it comes to elite forces, it will come as no surprise that our special forces are doing much of the heavy lifting.

    ‘But this deliberate, large-scale disclosure of sensitive material could easily endanger lives and should prompt an urgent review about who has access to sensitive information and how it is shared.’

    A document, dated March 23, suggested up to 50 UK special forces personnel have been deployed to Ukraine alongside other western special forces – but the document doesn’t state where those forces are located or what they are doing.

    Chris Meagher, a spokesman for the Pentagon, has urged caution in ‘promoting or amplifying any of these documents’, adding that ‘it does appear that slides have been doctored’.

    It is not yet known whether more documents could appear online.

    When asked if the US government was waiting for more documents to be leaked, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby replied: ‘The truth and the honest answer to your question is: We don’t know. And is that a matter of concern to us? You’re darn right it is.’

    Meanwhile, there is speculation that US president Joe Biden is anti-British after a proposed bilateral meeting with prime minister Rishi Sunak over a UK-US free trade deal was downgraded to an informal coffee.

    At one point it appeared the president pushed Mr Sunak away from him, instead opting for a hug with a US diplomat, and Mr Biden’s limousine, The Beast, blocked the view of their parting handshake.

    But Home Office minister Chris Philp rejected those assertions, insisting Mr Sunak and Mr Biden had ‘extensive discussions’.

    Speaking to GB News, Mr Philp said: ‘I don’t know exactly what the Prime Minister’s schedule was. I haven’t discussed it with him or No 10.

    ‘Of course they did have extensive discussions in Belfast yesterday before President Biden’s speech.

    ‘I don’t think the president is anti-British. I think the president, when he spoke to the King recently, agreed to come to the United Kingdom on a full state visit which is fantastic.

    ‘I think he’s been here four times since becoming president so no, I don’t think – I would not accept that characterisation at all.’