North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has denounced President Akufo-Addo‘s much-publicized investigations into the SML scandal as nothing more than a sham.
Ablakwa contends that recent events, particularly the alleged departure of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner-General, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah, with a regular passport instead of his official service passport, raises serious doubts about the authenticity of the ongoing probe.
“The Owusu-Amoahs’ first travel destination when they left Accra a week ago was São Tomé and Príncipe, and continuous tracking appears to paint a picture of a family in no hurry to return to Ghana, that is if they will ever return.
“In the January 2, 2024 press statement from the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia presidency signed by Mr. Eugene Arhin, Ghanaians were informed that ‘President Akufo-Addo has tasked KPMG to complete the assignment in two weeks, and submit appropriate recommendations to him.’
“The release additionally indicated that the ‘President has directed the Ministry of Finance and GRA to provide KPMG with whatever assistance they will require for conduct of the audit.’
“Now here we are, the GRA boss who is to be audited has been surreptitiously assisted to leave the country. It is also worth noting that KPMG has only about 6 days left to report to the President. Clearly, President Akufo-Addo’s much touted investigations into the SML scandal is nothing but a sham,” portions of a statement published on Facebook said.
The parliamentarian asserts that the use of a non-official passport implies that Owusu-Amoah’s journey may not be related to official duties, casting a shadow over the sincerity of the government’s investigation.
Ablakwa suggests that this departure is indicative of a deliberate attempt by the GRA boss to evade potential scapegoating by the government in the aftermath of the scandal’s exposure.
“Painstaking investigations further reveal that Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah has told a few very close friends and allies that he will never return to Ghana, particularly after realizing that there’s an elaborate scheme to make him a scapegoat following Manasseh Azure Awuni’s brilliant SML exposé — even though according to Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah, he only carried out the wishes of the same notorious looting cabal,” he added.
As the controversy surrounding the SML scandal unfolds, Ablakwa has accused the government of orchestrating a deceptive façade of accountability while allegedly allowing key figures involved in the saga to evade scrutiny. The North Tongu MP further questions the credibility of the investigative process and raises concerns about the government’s commitment to holding those implicated accountable.
“The NDC Caucus in Parliament shall be demanding an urgent inquiry into how Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah fled Ghana; we shall seek to identify and sanction the conspirators who facilitated his disgraceful escape despite presidential assurances of an urgent high-stakes KPMG audit; we shall be committed to unraveling the subsequent silence, grand deception and attempted cover-up.
“Ghanaians must resolve to do all in our power to vote out this fantastically corrupt Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP regime in this year’s election. We must uproot this government of endless monumental embarrassments. We have really had enough!” he added.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has claimed that the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah, has left the country following the public revelation of the SML scandal.
He asserted that the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah, departed the country with his immediate family just days after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ordered an audit of the contract between SML and the Ghana Revenue Authority.
Okudzeto Ablakwa claims that the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah, departed the country using a regular passport rather than his official service passport, suggesting that his journey may not be for official duties.
“Exactly a week ago, the entire Owusu-Amoah family departed at 17:10 on TAP Air Portugal, flight TP 1527 from KIA-Terminal 3. Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah used an ordinary Ghanaian passport issued on June 14, 2019, with its last four digits being 5283.
“Interestingly, the runaway GRA boss did not travel with his Service Passport with 2702 as its last four digits. A Service Passport which was issued to him as GRA Commissioner-General on October 3, 2019. This development adds another layer of confirmation that Rev. Dr. Owusu-Amoah has not embarked on an official trip,” he said.
According to him, this signals that the call for an inquiry into the contract is deceptive, as the GRA boss has reportedly informed individuals in his circle that he does not plan to return to Ghana. Allegedly, he believes the government aims to scapegoat him following the exposure of the scandal.
Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that the Minority will bring to book persons who facilitated his travel and has urged the people of Ghana to vote out such a government.
SML SCANDAL— WHY IS THE AKUFO-ADDO/BAWUMIA GOVERNMENT PRETENDING THEY HAVEN’T ASSISTED THE GRA BOSS & HIS FAMILY TO RAN OUT OF THE COUNTRY?
Can the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government stop the despicable deception that they are seriously investigating the SML/GRA scandal.
President Akufo-Addo must immediately offer a sincere explanation to Ghanaians on the circumstances under which the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah who signed the dubious SML contract was allowed to travel out of the country with his entire nuclear family less than 24 hours after Akufo-Addo’s 2nd January, 2024 press statement announcing that KPMG has been tasked to carry out an urgent audit into the sleazy affair.
My unimpeachable and irrefutable tracking of Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah reveals that on January 3, 2024, he led his family to swiftly and clandestinely leave the jurisdiction.
Exactly a week ago, the entire Owusu-Amoah family departed at 17:10 on TAP Air Portugal, flight TP 1527 from KIA-Terminal 3.
Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah used an ordinary Ghanaian passport issued on June 14, 2019, with its last four digits being 5283.
Interestingly, the runaway GRA boss did not travel with his Service Passport with 2702 as its last four digits. A Service Passport which was issued to him as GRA Commissioner-General on October 3, 2019. This development adds another layer of confirmation that Rev. Dr. Owusu-Amoah has not embarked on an official trip.
The Owusu-Amoahs’ first travel destination when they left Accra a week ago was São Tomé and Príncipe, and continuous tracking appears to paint a picture of a family in no hurry to return to Ghana, that is if they will ever return.
In the January 2, 2024 press statement from the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia presidency signed by Mr. Eugene Arhin, Ghanaians were informed that “President Akufo-Addo has tasked KPMG to complete the assignment in two weeks, and submit appropriate recommendations to him.”
The release additionally indicated that the “President has directed the Ministry of Finance and GRA to provide KPMG with whatever assistance they will require for conduct of the audit.”
Now here we are, the GRA boss who is to be audited has been surreptitiously assisted to leave the country.
It is also worth noting that KPMG has only about 6 days left to report to the President.
Clearly, President Akufo-Addo’s much touted investigations into the SML scandal is nothing but a sham.
Painstaking investigations further reveal that Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah has told a few very close friends and allies that he will never return to Ghana, particularly after realizing that there’s an elaborate scheme to make him a scapegoat following Manasseh Azure Awuni’s brilliant SML exposé — even though according to Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah, he only carried out the wishes of the same notorious looting cabal.
The NDC Caucus in Parliament shall be demanding an urgent inquiry into how Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah fled Ghana; we shall seek to identify and sanction the conspirators who facilitated his disgraceful escape despite presidential assurances of an urgent high-stakes KPMG audit; we shall be committed to unraveling the subsequent silence, grand deception and attempted cover-up.
Ghanaians must resolve to do all in our power to vote out this fantastically corrupt Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP regime in this year’s election.
We must uproot this government of endless monumental embarrassments.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed that Parliament is actively preparing for a thorough public inquiry into the National Cathedral matter, following his recent exposé.
The delay in initiating the inquiry, according to Mr Ablakwa, is a result of the Majority’s failure to provide the names for the committee tasked with investigating the complexities surrounding the National Cathedral project.
In his appearance on the Good Morning Ghana show on December 22, Ablakwa expressed contentment with Parliament’s acknowledgment and deliberation on his motion related to the National Cathedral.
He voiced optimism about significant activity in January, as the public inquiry into the alleged irregularities surrounding the National Cathedral project begins to take shape.
Ablakwa emphasized the importance of addressing what he considers a messy situation concerning the cathedral.
Since the government’s announcement of the decision to construct the national cathedral, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has been an outspoken critic of the project.
His primary argument revolves around the belief that, given Ghana’s current needs and economic challenges, a national cathedral is unnecessary.
Instead, he advocates redirecting the allocated funds towards improving the lives and living conditions of Ghanaians.
Mr Ablakwa’s investigation, made public on January 11, 2023, uncovered several key findings related to the National Cathedral project:
Millions Diverted to Inexperienced Companies: Documents revealed that millions of taxpayer funds were allocated to JNS Talent Centre Ltd, a company with no construction track record, raising concerns about the use of public funds.
Nepotism in Contract Awards: Ablakwa alleged that the contracts for the construction of the national cathedral might have been awarded based on ‘family and friends’ connections. Notably, JNS Talent Centre Ltd, which received GH¢2.6 million, is linked to Rev. Johannes Eshun, the spiritual son and branch pastor of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng, the secretary to the Cathedral Board of Trustees.
Questionable Allocation of Funds: Ablakwa exposed the allocation of GH¢28.2 million of taxpayers’ money to Cary Summers, CEO of Nehemiah Group, for ‘coordination,’ despite the company’s limited success in raising funds over the past three years.
The revelations have sparked widespread concern and scrutiny, with calls for accountability and transparency in the management of public funds allocated to the National Cathedral project.
Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, along with fellow judges from the Judicial Services, has extended support to victims of the recent flood in the Volta Region.
The dignitaries collectively donated GHC125,000 in response to the challenges triggered by the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams.
Revealed through a social media announcement by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the GH¢125,000 donation was mobilized following an appeal by the Chief Justice to judges and staff of the judicial service. The funds aim to assist the flood victims affected by the Akosombo and Kpong Dams spillage in the Volta Region.
“The Honourable Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, distinguished judges and the entire Judicial Service of Ghana deserve abundant commendation for their extremely kind and generous gesture of donating to displaced persons in my beloved North Tongu.
“It has been disclosed that the Chief Justice initiated a compassionate mobilization of personal contributions from judges and staff of the judiciary including her own financial support amounting to an impressive GHC125,000.00 which she gracefully announced to my revered chiefs and I at a beautiful ceremony in her office earlier today,” the MP wrote on X.
He also stated that the GHC125,000 would be used to construct a mechanized borehole and to supply selected building materials for our second Safe Alternative Housing Project in Mepe.
The North Tongu legislator expressed his gratitude to Justice Torkornoo and the judicial service for their kind gesture.
Ablakwa and some chiefs from his constituency received donations from the Chief Justice, at her office.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has entered discussions concerning Ghana’s lithium mining agreement with Barari DV Ghana Limited.
He expressed concern over Ghana’s practice of exchanging mineral resources solely for royalties, deeming it unfortunate.
Ablakwa highlighted that Western countries accumulate wealth by not selling their mineral resources outright but rather by hiring people to work on them and compensating them accordingly.
“The reason why all the countries of the Middle East are filthy rich is because the oil that they have belongs to them. All the companies that go there to explore for oil are contracted, they are paid, and they don’t own the oil. We have lithium in large quantities and we are allowing someone to come and take it and go and sell it. You will not bring 100 percent of the money to Ghana; you give us 10 percent,” he said during a meeting with the Christian Council on Tuesday, December 12.
According to Ablakwa, it is foolish to distribute the mineral resources at the current rate without providing the necessary returns.
“I have raised this matter some 20 years or more years ago, this question about having minerals and letting somebody come and give you royalty as if , it is the stupidity of the stupidities. The lithium agreement is not in the interest of Ghana, that is my view and if you agree with me, then let us make a statement in support of the IEA to say that we do not think that this agreement is in the interest of Ghana,” he added.
Fresh documents released by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, indicate that the government has allocated a substantial amount of money for the settlement of a judgment debt owed to the Ghana Power Generation Company (GPGC).
In a tweet, the outspoken MP lambasted the government for failing to provide emergency housing for victims of the Volta River Authority (VRA)-induced floods, yet has issued the release “of a staggering GHC230.5 million (US$20million) to pay for a judgment debt they recklessly & wickedly created.”
Attached to the tweet is a payment slip signed by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, directing the Controller and Accountant General to release the funds “at an exchange rate of US$ 1 to GHc 11.5299 to the Chief Director, Ministry of Finance to enable the Ministry make part settlement of the arbitral award to GPGC limited.”
The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/Ofori-Atta government claims it so broke that they cannot provide emergency housing for VRA-induced flood victims but fresh intercepted documents reveal that they have authorized the release of a staggering GHS230.5million (US$20million) to pay for a… pic.twitter.com/CdTzmTlOaY
Mr Ablakwa also asked the “Ministers who wrongfully terminated the GPGC contract and willfully caused financial loss to Ghana” to prepare for the day of reckoning.
GCPC-GoG judgment debt
A High Court in the United Kingdom, months back, affirmed a judgment in favour of GPGC, a subsidiary of international commodities company, Trafigura.
The company sued the Ghana government over the termination of two power deals and was awarded a judgment debt of US$140 million by the court.
Ghana contended, however, that the company under existing laws had to serve the government through diplomatic channels contrary to a ruling that allowed them to use alternative service.
The High Court ruled that Ghana’s move to invoke the State Immunity Act provisions as basis for which Trafigura could not serve them judgment debt documents via post and email, was untenable.
Trafigura, via email, went through the finance ministry in serving the court documents with all correspondence duly acknowledged and court dates agreed as GoG asked its lawyers to engage with the company.
“Trafigura, a multinational commodities-trading company based in Singapore, is the majority owner of GPGC, a power company which secured the award in January 2021 after an arbitral tribunal found that Ghana had unlawfully terminated a contract for the installation and operation of two power plants,” Global Arbitration Review wrote in an October 13 publication.
In GPGC v The Government of the Republic of Ghana, GPGC was represented by James Willan KC and Catherine Jung of Essex Court Chambers, instructed by Stephenson Harwood.
Ghana was represented by Stephen Houseman KC and Luke Tattershall, also of Essex Court, instructed by White & Case.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu,Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has raised questions about the government’s unwillingness to decrease the number of taxes introduced for the 2024 fiscal year.
He contends that the government is focused on expanding its expenditure while imposing additional taxes on the average Ghanaian.
“This attitude of oh, they can have their say and we will always have our way wrong. We have said that there are so many taxes; why can’t you just reduce taxes and expenditures?
“Always, you are increasing your expenditure, increasing the number of people you are appointing, and all kinds of fanciful projects that are needless,” he stated while speaking to Accra-based Joy News.
The Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, reiterated specific areas where he believes the government could cut down on expenses.
He raised reservations about what he perceives as extravagant projects and the growing number of appointments to government positions.
Ablakwa also expressed concerns about the excessive tax waivers granted to various companies, emphasising the contradiction in the government seeking substantial financial aid from international bodies like the IMF while offering significant tax concessions.
“You remember how many months I have been talking about theNational Cathedral project? Now we have the world’s most expensive hole.
“You remember how many months I have been talking about the president’s chartered travels? They were spending like there was no tomorrow. Now, the chickens have come home to roost. Now, you want to impose more taxes.
“So, why don’t you listen to us and reduce the taxes? We have also said that the tax waivers that you are granting your crony companies—about 45 of them—are too much. You cannot expect $6 billion from the IMF and more than $450 million in tax waivers. Imagine what those monies could do,” he asked.
Former General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Atik Mohammed has strongly criticized Frontiers Healthcare Services (FHS), the organization in charge of the Airport COVID-19 testing project, for their response to allegations of misconduct made against them during their operation of the COVID-19 testing project at Kotoka International Airport.
Member of Parliament (MP) for the North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa accused the FHS of being involved in some alleged corrupt activities while it undertook the COVID-19 testing project.
In response to these allegations, FHS, in a statement issued on Tuesday, October 24, highlighted the significance of setting the record straight in light of the various accusations made by the MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Labeling these allegations as “false, baseless, and a complete fabrication”, Frontier Healthcare Services stressed that “the reopening of the country’s air borders in the midst of the pandemic was made possible by the introduction of this innovative system focused on arresting the potential inflow and onward transmission of the virus to the resident population of Ghana”.
“It is rather unfortunate that what ought to be hailed as one of the greatest achievements of our nation during the pandemic has rather been wrought with so much controversy and negative press owing to the politically polarized nature of our dear nation,” the institution added.
Frontiers Healthcare Services further explained that “the arrangement between FHS and the Government of Ghana was regulated by a duly negotiated, executed contract robustly negotiated by world-class professionals on either side. There was a global pandemic that was killing people at an alarming rate and destroying the nation’s economy.
“It would be wrong for the government to, at the moment, be aiming at making money off screening travelers coming into the country. The government’s responsibility and goal at that time was to facilitate easy and affordable international travel to get the economy back on track.”
But in an interview with Peace FM, Atik said that the rejoinder has done more damage than good.
He stated that the company did not adequately address the pertinent issues, especially those related to the contractual agreement between them and the government to provide their services. Instead, they engaged in ad hominem attacks.
“They’ve not been able to indicate to us that indeed there was a contract signed between Frontiers Healthcare Services and the government and who the signatories were. All they have said is that, in the face of this COVID-19 and the government’s desire to do the testing, they submitted a proposal to Ghana Airport Company Ltd., and Airport Company Ltd. approved that proposal, and then they deployed machines to the borders,” he said.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency in the Volta Region, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has expressed his approval and appreciation for the recent resignations of Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Reverend Eastwood Anaba from their positions on the Board of Trustees responsible for overseeing the construction of Ghana’s National Cathedral.
Mr. Ablakwa, who temporarily diverted his attention from visiting constituents who were grappling with the consequences of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams’ spillage, took a moment to commend the decision taken by these respected clergymen to step down from their roles on the board.
Archbishop Duncan-Williams and Reverend Anaba released a joint statement explaining that their decision to resign from the Board of Trustees overseeing the construction of the National Cathedral was primarily driven by the government’s failure to designate an independent accounting firm responsible for conducting an audit of all public funds contributed to the project.
Mr. Ablakwa in an interview with Citi News said that the resignations are a confirmation of all the ills he has been speaking about the project and calling for it to be stopped for an independent audit to be conducted.
“I want to commend highly the two revered clergymen. Some may say it is delayed, but I will say better later than never because they have covered themselves in glory with this resignation, and it is a clear confirmation of the things I have been talking about.”
“Look at how they say they have been frustrated within the board about getting the board to carry out an independent audit. If these folks have nothing to hide, why did they really prevent efforts by these respected clergymen to have an independent audit? We will have time in the coming days, for an independent parliamentary inquiry on this matter. Our motion has gone through, the Speaker approved it and the House has voted on it, and we are just waiting for the NPP side to send their membership, and we will have a full-blown inquiry and delve into the matters.”
Member of parliament representing the North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has predicted that the current Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Pamela Djamson-Tettey will be fired by the end of the year 2023.
According to him, some influential persons in parliament are working around the clock to make that happen.
“Do you know, I can probably reveal for the first time that efforts are underway to do away with the Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited,” Okudzeto Ablakwa stated.
He said, “What I am tracking, I don’t think she will be there beyond December.”
During a time of media engagement on TV3’s New Day program, which was monitored by GhanaWeb Business on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu made the assertion that the Managing Director of GACL stands accused of delaying the approval of a contract with Heaven Builders Limited.
Heaven Builders Limited, a private company, had initially been granted a lease for 38.14 acres of land around the Kotoka International Airport for a total of US$85,021,340. However, they countered with a proposal for 62.14 acres and requested an extension of the lease period from 45 years to 99 years.
According to Okudzeto Ablakwa, separate assessments conducted by independent institutions such as the Ghana Institution of Surveyors and Brightwater Property Investments Limited have revealed that the ‘Heaven’ deal is economically unfavorable.
In his perspective, the Heaven Builders Limited scandal appears to be a ploy to acquire state land for personal purposes.
“This whole scheme is state capture…Let Heaven Builders take the lead, go and front, take the lands and then they will just distribute it among cronies. That’s what this is about,” the lawmaker asserted.
He claimed that the individuals behind Frontier Healthcare Service were also those attempting to negotiate with the government on behalf of Heaven Builders Limited.
The Heaven Scandal: Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa reveals efforts are underway to do away with the Managing Director of Ghana Airport Company Limited.#TV3NewDaypic.twitter.com/TLyyY4zVn7
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed that the individuals responsible for the Frontiers Covid-19 Airport testing service are the same individuals involved in the “airport land grab” associated with the Heaven scandal.
In the second installment of “The Heaven Scandal,” Mr. Ablakwa stated that since the release of Part 1 and his subsequent discussions on X Spaces, many people have been inquiring about the identity of the individuals behind Heaven Builders Limited. In the spirit of transparency, accountability, and parliamentary oversight, he pledged to provide full disclosure and has obtained the incorporation documents of Heaven Builders Limited.
In a facebook post,he said “there is more bombshell: deep throat unimpeachable sources within the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration have revealed to me that the same ‘lootocratic’ brigands who were behind the infamous Frontiers COVID-19 Airport testing heist are the same promoters of this unconscionable Airport land grab.”
Mr. Ablakwa revealed that Heaven Builders was acquired and assumed by its present directors on April 17, 2018. He also pointed out that the stated capital of Heaven Builders Limited, which has been offered and allocated prime Airport lands valued at over US$150 million, amounts to a mere GHS5,000.00.
Based on the incorporation documents, he observed that Heaven Builders Limited has plans to have just one employee.
“With one employee, a stated capital of a measly GHS5,000 and absolutely no track record — President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Bawumia, Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta and their collaborators at the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) believe Heaven Builders have the best capacity to be Anchor Developers and new owners of 62 acres of prime Airport land.”
To provide clarity and a better understanding of the situation, Mr. Ablakwa specified that the 93-acre prime land in question is situated with boundaries as follows: it is bounded on the west by the Airport By-pass Road, on the south by the Airport Road, on the north by a rail line, and on the east by the terminals 1 and 2 tarmac.
He pointed out that in close proximity to this “giveaway” prime land to Heaven Builders are prominent businesses and well-known brands, including Marriott Hotel, Holiday Inn, Accra Mall, Marina Mall, and the head offices of Stanbic, Vodafone, and Nestle.
“The unholy Frontiers-Heaven Builders connection cannot be dismissed as mere conspiracy theory when a careful study of the incorporation documents of both companies reveal that both companies have the same witness in the person of Edward Charles Appiah with the same address.”
Furthermore, Mr Ablakwa emphasized that he shall return to other “modus operandi” of this same Ghana/Nigeria “lootocratic picaroons” in later publications.
He however confirmed that two reputable independent professional entities have delivered reasoned professional assessments of the Heaven Builders deal to the GACL.
The North Tongu legislator revealed that they have both vehemently disagreed with the counteroffer of Heaven Builders wherein they demand 62 acres.
“The two independent professional entities are Brightwater Property Investment Limited and the renowned Ghana Institution of Surveyors. Brightwater’s assessment was delivered on July 25, 2023 and signed by its Director, Osafo Gyimah.”
Furthermore, Mr. Ablakwa highlighted that the Ghana Institution of Surveyors delivered their damning assessment to the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) on July 24, 2023. This assessment was co-signed by Surv. Dr. Frank Gyamfi-Yeboah, FGhIS (on behalf of Pacific Real Estate Advisors) and Surv. Yaw Osei-Wusu Peprah, MRICS, MGhIS (representing Assenta Property Consulting).
According to Mr. Ablakwa, both professional organizations share the view that even if the Heaven Builders deal were to proceed, the valuation placed on Heaven Builders was “extremely low.” They opined that Heaven Builders should not be entitled to more than 40 acres, even if they could actually raise the US$85 million proposed.
“Interestingly, whereas Heaven Builders was claiming an acre should be valued at an average US$1.3million, the Ghana Institution of Surveyors report contains real purchases within that vicinity far in excess including a 1.75 acre which sold at US$6.3million as far back as 2019.”
Mr. Ablakwa expressed his appreciation for the patriotic and professional service rendered by Brightwater Property Investment Limited and the Ghana Institution of Surveyors. He acknowledged their efforts and called upon everyone to come together and prevent this “grand looting” of prime lands.
“The NDC caucus in Parliament stands ready to totally scuttle this corrupt land grab in the next few days when the House resumes. Ghana must remain a democracy not a lootocracy. This is not a deal from Heaven, it has every trait of a deal from Satan’s Hell.”
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has released an exposé to shed light on what he deems a bombshell offer letter from the Ghana Airport Company Limited to Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited for the testing of COVID-19 at the airport.
According to the MP, the information “shall ensure that this grand Frontiers create, loot and share; together with all those who fronted for Frontiers are duly exposed and sanctioned for God and Country.”
This explosive offer letter, according to Mr Ablakwa, reveals the following:
1. Frontiers was handpicked in an opaque sweetheart deal after a hush-hush discussion;
2. Ghana’s procurement laws were blatantly and violently flouted. In fact, Ghana’s procurement laws were suspended;
3. This was not a competitive exercise as credible institutions such as Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, Korle Bu Central Laboratory and others who were at the forefront of the COVID containment were sidelined as government opted for the overnight incorporated dubious Frontiers;
4. This letter incredibly reveals how an offer was made to Frontiers on 31st August, 2020 and how actual testing magically commenced the next day, September 1, 2020. Something to soon feature in Guinness World Records;
5. In a total rip off, the government per the offer letter asked for a fixed share of a measly and wickedly unpatriotic $10 per test as Frontiers keeps $140 per test considering that Frontiers was charging each passenger $150;
6. Shockingly, Frontiers was asked according to the offer letter to make a paltry and insulting payment of only $97,109.00 as proof of acceptance of the offer for an exclusive control of the Upper Arrival, Terminal 3, KIA — regardless of the fact that Frontiers stood to make and has indeed made profits worth hundreds of millions of dollars;
7. Despite this outrageous giveaway, Frontiers was exempted from paying water bills;
8. The offer letter did not provide technical specifications, standards and the specific amount of investment Frontiers was obliged to make in setting up the testing facility which actually exposes how everything was skewed by government officials to collude with Frontiers in raping Ghanaians;
9. The offer letter made no reference to mandatory authorization from the Health Facilities Regulatory Authority (HeFRA) as a condition precedent which explains why Frontiers commenced work many months before it applied to HeFRA for licensing after my original exposé;
10. From the intercepted offer letter, Frontiers was granted an unfathomable long duration of 2 years to loot, create and share; and that was regardless of whether Covid is defeated in a few weeks or not. This also explains why Ghana was basically the only country still testing at the airport many months after airport authorities in many other jurisdictions had stopped and dismantled their testing systems;
11. The evidence is overwhelming that this Frontiers deal was a grand operation between a buccaneer government and lootocratic entrepreneurs to make a fortune at a time many were being killed and hospitalized by a devastating pandemic.
He noted that conservative analysis of passenger traffic statistics available on the website of the Ghana Airport Company shows that during the 2-year period of Frontiers’ scam operations — there were an estimated 1 million arrivals at KIA.
“Factoring eventual reductions from $150 to $50 only for ECOWAS nationals, Frontiers and those vampires who fronted for them must have raked in not less than US$130million in killer profits. This happened during a public health crisis,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Ablakwa says he will, in subsequent publications, release more documents on this unconscionable killer Frontiers scandal.
GACL fined GHS200,000 for withholding information on Frontiers Healthcare Services contract
The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has imposed a fine of GH¢200,000 on Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) for its failure to adhere to instructions regarding the release of information.
This decision by the Commission was prompted by a communication dated September 7, 2023, from GACL’s Managing Director, Mrs. Pamela Djamson-Tettey.
In her letter, she had sought a one-week extension to gather and provide information to Raymond Acquah, JoyNews’ Head of Research, as directed by the Commission.
In a letter dated September 20, 2023, bearing reference number RTIG/RF/voL4/856, the Commission expressed its dissatisfaction with GACL’s delay in furnishing the requested information.
It should be noted that the Commission had previously issued directives on February 3, 2023, and February 16, 2023, outlining the required format for the information’s submission and emphasizing that the information was already accessible.
While acknowledging the importance of fairness, the Commission did grant GACL a one-week extension in response to their request.
However, the Commission firmly rejected GACL’s plea for the waiver of the administrative penalty amounting to ¢200,000, which had been imposed by the Commission in a letter dated August 23, 2023.
The Commission justified its stance by underscoring the lack of cooperation demonstrated by GACL in adhering to their earlier directives. This was perceived as a deliberate effort to obstruct the implementation of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), which empowers the Commission to impose administrative penalties on entities that fail to fulfill their obligations under the Act.
In a letter signed by Executive Secretary Yaw Sarpong Boateng, the Commission clarified that it lacked the authority to waive the already imposed ¢200,000 penalty and advised GACL to make the payment as per the Commission’s directive.
The controversy emerged when JoyNews requested access to the contract between GACL and Frontiers Healthcare Services, the entity responsible for COVID-19 testing at the airport.
GACL declined to disclose this information, citing Section 10 of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), which allows for exemptions under specific conditions.
GACL’s argument rested on the claim that the contract contained exempted information, such as trade secrets and financial data with potential monetary value. They contended that disclosing this data could harm the state’s financial interests, disrupt business and trade, and potentially provide a competitive advantage or disadvantage to specific individuals by offering advanced knowledge of future economic measures.
Furthermore, GACL stated that some contract-related information and revenue details from testing were not within their possession.
JoyNews challenged this stance, asserting that the requested information did not fall within the broad exemptions outlined in Section 10 of the RTI law.
The Right to Information Commission intervened and, following a comprehensive review, conveyed its decision to GACL through a letter dated February 3, 2023.
The Commission’s findings contradicted GACL’s position, emphasizing that the contract had already been executed and did not hold any monetary or potential monetary value for the state.
Additionally, the Commission determined that disclosing the requested information would not compromise the financial interests of the state.
As a result, the Commission issued a directive to GACL, mandating the release of not only the Frontiers contract but also a summary of procurement details related to the transaction between GACL and Frontiers Healthcare Services Ltd, excluding tax information and evaluative processes.
Furthermore, GACL was instructed to furnish information regarding the total revenue generated from Covid-19 testing at the airport since the commencement of the agreement with Frontiers, including the amounts earned by Frontiers Health Services and the government from these operations.
Member of Parliament (MP) representing North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has strongly criticized the Bank of Ghana (BoG) for allegedly allocating over GH¢711 million in 2022 for various projects, including the remodeling of regional offices, the construction of a guest house, and a new head office.
He raised concerns about these expenditures, particularly in the midst of an ongoing economic crisis in the country.
Ablakwa took to Facebook on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, to express his dismay, pointing out that the BoG had initially attempted to conceal these financial transactions.
However, the alleged expenditures were brought to light by independent auditors from the auditing firm Deloitte. Ablakwa questioned the need for such secrecy if the central bank believed its actions were above board.
“Thanks to independent auditors at Deloitte, we now know from page 86 of the Bank of Ghana’s 2022 Annual Report and Financial Statements that the Bank of Ghana made a staggering GH¢711.21 million expenditure commitment in its crisis year of 2022 on reckless projects such as its scandalous new head office, remodelling of regional offices and construction of a guest house in Tamale.
“What is equally disgraceful and condemnable was BoG’s attempt to conceal these risky humongous transactions by its disingenuous refusal to disclose them in its original financial statement presented to auditors. Regrettably, the auditors had to make their own discovery.
“If the Bank of Ghana had nothing to hide and was really proud of its sleazy new headquarters project and all the other dubious constructions, why did they deploy such elaborate opaque concealment schemes just to avoid accountability?” he quizzed.
The MP disclosed a fictitious document purporting to be from Deloitte that claimed the BoG failed to disclose GH711.21 million in capital expenditure commitments in its financial statement as of December 31, 2022.
According to the paper, the biggest expenditure projects included remodeling a few regional branches of the central bank, building a new headquarters for the Bank of Ghana, and building a guest house in Tamale.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has criticized Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta’s call for Ghanaians to rally behind the Bank of Ghana (BoG) instead of subjecting it to criticism.
The central bank has faced severe scrutiny, particularly from opposition voices, following substantial losses recorded in its 2022 annual report. This has led to calls for the governor and his two deputies to step down, with the Minority in Parliament and various pressure groups planning a protest campaign known as #OccupyBoG to emphasize their demands.
Amid these losses, concerns have arisen about the bank’s ongoing construction of a new head office, which is alleged to cost taxpayers US$250 million. This has further intensified the pressure on the bank.
In response to these challenges, Ken Ofori-Atta penned an article this week in defense of the bank, addressing all the criticisms. One of the notable quotes from the article pertains to the new head office building.
In response to this quote, Ablakwa posted on Facebook: “Why not build a befitting economy for all of us first? This is the self-acclaimed Solid Team!”
The North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has pledged to persist in exposing government shortcomings, regardless of the ruling political party.
He emphasized the importance of prioritizing Ghana’s welfare over individual interests, even if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is in power.
Ablakwa conveyed this commitment through a social media post, advocating for leadership that places the country’s improvement at the forefront of all endeavors.
Read His Statement Below
May I take a moment to salute all the outstanding patriots occupying various important positions within government and the larger public service who put the national interest first by working with us at great risk to expose grand corruption, impunity, profligacy and state capture.
They are the real heroes worthy of celebration.
Shall we all commit to keeping them in our prayers, please.
Together, and without ever betraying these extraordinary nationalists collaborating with us, we shall save our country.
Already, our collaborative nationalistic efforts have saved suffering Ghanaian taxpayers billions of Ghana Cedis.
May I add that it is in our collective interest to encourage and deepen this culture even under the next NDC Administration. When politicians and other public officials know their conduct and decisions cannot be hidden but will be subjected to strict standards of transparency and accountability, our democracy becomes truly hygienic and the public purse would therefore be genuinely protected so national resources can be redirected into creating better living conditions and opportunities for the people.
Ghanaians should expect more explosive scandals to be revealed in the coming days.
If the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government cannot stop creating scandals; we can also not stop exposing their scandals.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has asked Ghanaians to brace themselves for a series of sensational scandals within President Akufo-Addo’s government.
In a Facebook post the legislator emphasized that if the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government persists in generating controversies, he and his colleagues will persist in exposing them.
“Ghanaians should anticipate the revelation of more explosive scandals in the forthcoming days. Our exposés will only cease when the government’s scandals cease,” he added
Ablakwa argued that his commitment to uncovering governmental improprieties has resulted in significant savings for the beleaguered Ghanaian taxpayers, amounting to billions of Ghana Cedis.
He reaffirmed his dedication to investigative scrutiny, asserting that even if his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), assumes power, he will persist in this role.
The North Tongu MP expounded on the significance of transparency and accountability in government, saying, “When politicians and public officials are aware that their actions and choices will be subjected to rigorous standards of transparency and accountability, our democracy attains a genuine level of cleanliness.” He went on to emphasize that this approach safeguards the public treasury, ensuring that national resources can be channeled towards enhancing the living conditions and opportunities for the citizens.
In the meantime, among the notable exposés conducted by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa are the well-known revelations concerning the National Cathedral and the kitchen-related controversies.
He asserted that the kitchen scandal, in particular, saved the nation a staggering GH¢187 million in potential judgment debt.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has released fresh records concerning the presently disputed new headquarters of the Bank of Ghana (BoG).
These documents pertain to exchanges between the Ministry of Finance and the central bank, addressing topics including modifications to the project’s expenses.
The most recent of the four disclosed letters, consisting of two from the Ministry and two from the BoG, is dated January 17, 2023. This particular letter originates from the Central Tender Review Committee (CTRC) within the Ministry.
Among others, the committee said issues it had raised in an earlier correspondence remained “unsatisfactorily addressed” by the BoG. It also advised the BoG to stick to all designs at present “to avoid huge variation costs in future procurement.”
The letter further confirmed that a price of US$222,760.55 had been assigned to the amended scope of work.
The congressman made the point that the cost of the project’s land, which he intimated was also problematic, was not included in the present amount.
“It is imperative to point out that the latest variation figure of US$222.79million is without the cost of the land. The cost of land and its dubious acquisition would be the focus of another episode.
“Contrary to claims by some NPP propagandists that the skyrocketing cost of the BoG head office project is due to general inflation and in particular, rising cost of building materials — the Central Tender Review Committee exposes those claims as false,” his post read in part.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has launched a scathing attack on the Bank of Ghana (BoG) for allegedly engaging in a ‘shady and wasteful’ project to construct a new corporate head office.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, the MP said he had intercepted documents from the BoG and other sources that exposed several procurement breaches, cost escalations and lack of transparency in the project.
He claimed that the BoG violated the Public Procurement Act, 2003 as amended in Act 914, by using the restricted tendering method to select five companies to participate in the tender, none of which were registered at the Office of the Registrar of Companies. He said one of the companies, Ronesans Holdings, was not even registered at the time of the tender.
He also claimed that the cost of the project increased astronomically from US$81.8 million to US$121 million within eight months, and was likely to exceed US$250 million. He said this was mind-boggling and unacceptable, especially during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when the BoG claimed to be struggling to finance the government.
He further claimed that the BoG single-sourced another company, MULTICAD, to carry out project management for US$3.45 million, without any compelling reason or justification. He said this was another breach of the procurement law and a sign of cronyism.
He called on all well-meaning Ghanaians to join him in protesting against the BoG project, which he described as extravagant and wasteful. He said Governor Addison and his colleagues at the BoG had been deliberately lawless and destructive, and should resign or be sacked.
He said he had activated his parliamentary oversight role to unravel the mystery behind the project and expose the truth to the public. He said he would not relent in his efforts to ensure accountability and value for money in public spending.
He attached copies of some of the documents he had intercepted from the BoG and PPA to support his claims. He also urged Ghanaians to share his statement widely and demand answers from the BoG.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has presented substantiating documents to assert that the Bank of Ghana included a company, which had not been registered in Ghana previously, in the list of candidates for its upcoming office construction project.
In an extensive Facebook post dated August 17, the Member of Parliament provided a comprehensive account of several matters concerning the project. These ranged from its commencement date and procurement procedures to the fluctuating aspects of the project’s expenses.
He indicated that the initial expense began at a figure exceeding US$81 million and, in a span of eight months, escalated to reach US$121 million. He mentioned that the present estimate of US$250 million, as stated by the Parliamentary Minority, might be surpassed based on the information he possesses.
BoG, he revealed, got Public Procurement Authority (PPA) approval to use a restricted tendering process for the contractors and came up with five foreign companies namely:
i) Messrs. WBHO Ghana Limited,
ii) Messrs. Man Enterprise,
iii) Messrs. DeSimone Limited,
iv) Messrs. Ronesans Holdings and
v) Messrs. Goldkey Properties;
His post read in part: “It is not clear what criteria the BoG used in selecting its preferred 5 companies when Ghana’s built environment can boast of many established and celebrated construction firms such as Consar, Berock, Maripoma, Mawums, M. Barbisotti, First Sky, Antartic, Ussuya, Regimanuel, and so on and so forth;
“In a bizarre twist, further investigations reveal that one of the BoG’s 5 “ordained” companies: Messrs. Ronesans Holdings is not registered at the Office of the Registrar of Companies.
“How did an unregistered company qualify to participate in a restricted tender?” he asked
Ablakwa also claimed that he had intercepted another letter dated 4th September, 2020 also signed by PPA Acting Chief Executive, Mr. Frank Mantey which shockingly reveals that just within 8 months, the cost of the BoG Head Office project astronomically increased from US$81,882,640.00 to US$121,078,517.94.
The facility, which is currently costed at US$250 million according to the Minority in Parliament, has attracted a lot of reactions since the apex bank confirmed that it was indeed building a new head office.
The BoG in response to a press statement by the minority stated last week that the new office complex was necessary principally for security and other reasons, stressing that the current location was not safe in the case of an earthquake.
Ablakwa’s publication is the latest installment of pressure on the Ernest Addison-led BoG.
The Minority have demanded he resigns along with his two deputies over the 60 billion cedis losses recorded in 2022 as contained in an annual report released weeks ago.
The Minority has also served notice that it will picket at the premises of the bank if the governor refuses to resign after 21 days of their demand.
Read Ablakwa’s post below:
Unraveling the Bankrupt BoG Head Office Mystery— From an initial US$81.8million, suddenly escalating to US$121million & currently threatening to exceed US$250million
I have depressingly followed the national debate on what many outraged Ghanaians have described as the extravagant and wasteful US$250million new Bank of Ghana Corporate Head Office.
It is obvious from the Bank of Ghana’s feeble and anaemic defence that they have opted not to be transparent, candid and accountable to the good people of Ghana.
A shocking and embarrassing interview of Mr. Charles Elias Reindorf, Director of Finance at the Central Bank where he abruptly ended an interview following a harmless question on the cost of the project has since gone viral.
Instructively, the Bank of Ghana in all its public engagements has refused to disclose the current cost of the project, the procurement method, when the project was awarded and the scheduled completion date.
Some NPP propagandists including Mr. Richard Ahiagbah opportunistically jumped into the fray claiming that the project started under the NDC when Hon. Ato Forson served on the Bank of Ghana Board between 2013 and 2017.
Considering the deliberate distortion, lack of transparency, sponsored obfuscation and naked dishonesty; I decided to activate my constitutionally mandated parliamentary oversight role, so I could unravel the mystery in our collective national interest.
I can today report that I have intercepted unimpeachable, incontrovertible, irrefutable and undeniable documents from the Bank of Ghana and other credible sources which significantly reveal the following:
1. The Bank of Ghana commenced procurement processes for the controversial palatial head office on 14th January, 2020 when they wrote to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) seeking approval to strangely use the Restricted Tendering Procurement Method;
2. The PPA by letter dated 28th January, 2020 signed by its Acting Chief Executive, Mr. Frank Mantey communicated approval of the Board for the BoG to proceed with its desire to use the Restricted Tendering Method;
3. From the intercepted documents, procurement for the project did not commence under the NDC or during the tenure of Hon. Ato Forson as Board Member, neither did it start during the presidency of H.E. John Mahama, contrary to the vicious fabrications by some desperate NPP apologists;
4. The BoG’s unacceptable use of the Restricted Tendering Method amounts to a blatant violation of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended in Act 914. Section 38 of Act 663 provides a limited scope for the use of Restricted Tendering in circumstances where goods, services or works are available only from a limited number of suppliers or contractors;
5. From the intercepted documents, the BoG handpicked the following companies: i) Messrs. WBHO Ghana Limited, ii) Messrs. Man Enterprise, iii) Messrs. DeSimone Limited, iv) Messrs. Ronesans Holdings and v) Messrs. Goldkey Properties;
6. It is not clear what criteria the BoG used in selecting its preferred 5 companies when Ghana’s built environment can boast of many established and celebrated construction firms such as Consar, Berock, Maripoma, Mawums, M. Barbisotti, First Sky, Antartic, Ussuya, Regimanuel, and so on and so forth;
7. None of the BoG’s shortlisted companies can lay claim to any patent or exclusive capacity which other construction firms in that category do not possess and therefore warranting or justifying the use of restricted tendering;
8. It is obvious that Ghana would have had better value for money if the BoG had been less shady and opened up the process — opting for a full competitive tendering process;
9. In a bizarre twist, further investigations reveal that one of the BoG’s 5 “ordained” companies: Messrs. Ronesans Holdings is not registered at the Office of the Registrar of Companies. How did an unregistered company qualify to participate in a restricted tender?;
10. I intercepted another letter dated 4th September, 2020 also signed by PPA Acting Chief Executive, Mr. Frank Mantey which shockingly reveals that just within 8 months, the cost of the BoG Head Office project astronomically increased from US$81,882,640.00 to US$121,078,517.94.
11. Experts say this staggering US$40million increase in the project cost between January and September 2020 in a dollar denominated contract is absolutely mind boggling;
12. A 40% hike merely after tender evaluation in dollar pricing, not cedis, raises many critical questions for the BoG;
13. A credible full competitive tender process would have avoided this arbitrary cost escalation and guaranteed value for money;
14. Ironically, all these procurement breaches and sleazy price escalation at taxpayer expense was happening during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when President Akufo-Addo and Governor Addison had given Ghanaians assurances that they had put everything else on hold and were focusing on saving lives. Addison even claimed in June 2020 that the Central Bank was struggling in financing government because of Covid only to initiate this mega project on the blindside of Ghanaians;
15. Deeper investigations into the shady BoG head office project led me to discover another reckless and lawless conduct by the Addison-led Central Bank when they procured the services of a company known as MULTICAD to carry out project management through single-sourcing. (See PPA letter of 22nd September, 2021 as attached);
16. Section 40 of Act 663 provides the conditions for single-sourcing which do not apply in this instance;
17. There is no compelling genuine reason which justifies MULTICAD’s sweetheart deal of US$3.45million from Governor Addison;
18. What was Governor Addison’s special interest in ensuring that MULTICAD was single-sourced when there are hundreds of competitors out there who should have been allowed to compete for us to have value for money;
19. Curiously, this is a regime which made considerable noise in opposition against what they described as the dangers of single-sourced projects;
20. Strangely, MULTICAD’s articles of incorporation secured from the Office of the Registrar of Companies suggest that the company was registered on December 10, 2021 even though it received PPA approval on September 22, 2022. (See copy attached);
21. These numerous blatant procurement breaches, rigged procurement machinations, magical price escalations and lack of due diligence raise legitimate questions about the stewardship of PPA Board Chair, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi and his colleagues at the PPA;
22. Patriotic Bank of Ghana insiders working with me on this latest oversight project have expressed grave concern about how this BoG office complex which started at US$81.8million, surprisingly shot up to US$121million, and now variation reports are being prepared which are likely to exceed an incredible US$250million. This scary development invokes memories of the scandalous Akufo-Addo Cathedral which started at a US$100million and has now exceeded US$400million;
23. It is most astonishing for MisGovernor Addison who has presided over the BoG’s biggest losses in living memory of GHS60.8billion to initiate an US$81.8million head office project only to now saddle Ghanaians with a bill which is about three times more. The height of recklessness and gross mismanagement!;
24. Probably, MisGovernor Addison couldn’t be bothered about the frightening cost escalations for his new empire office project because he thought he could mindlessly continue with his illegal printing of cash;
25. This exposé clearly shows how MisGovernor Addison and his colleagues in management at the BoG have been deliberately lawless and remarkably destructive. Ironically, they punished others and collapsed their banks for far less.
26. All well-meaning Ghanaians must join the #OccupyBoGProtest. MisGovernor Addison and his fellow nation wreckers must go! Let us rescue our only country.
The Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to address the passport backlog as a way to combat the illicit acquisition of passports.
During an unannounced visit to the passport office in Accra, the sector minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, expressed concern over the activities of individuals known as “goro boys.”
Responding to this issue, the North Tongu MP acknowledged the minister’s efforts but emphasized the need for strengthened systems to address this ongoing problem.
While reflecting on the resurgence of “goro boys,” Ablakwa suggested a two-pronged approach: clearing the backlog of passport applications and implementing full automation to reduce human discretion.
“Sometimes we even thought that the phenomenon of goro boys was behind us. It is really regrettable that they have found their way back. So, it’s a clear matter. Let’s make sure that the backlog is dealt with then we take out the human discretion and bring in full automation because we have invested in that,” he said.
Ayorkor Botchwey, on the other hand, criticized passport office staff for alleged involvement in corruption-related activities, which has marred the office’s reputation. She expressed her frustration over applicants being extorted by both passport workers and “goro boys and girls” to expedite services.
The minister highlighted the need to cleanse the passport system, leading to the removal of certain staff members by August 21. She also underscored the importance of addressing corruption within the civil service and public sector.
Ayorkor Botchwey announced an ongoing investigation and promised consequences for the guilty parties. She further called for the dismissal of security service personnel stationed at the Passport Office in Accra who have overstayed their tenure.
The minister expressed her dissatisfaction with the high cost of obtaining a passport, emphasizing that it is unacceptable for Ghanaians to pay such excessive fees.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has taken action by dismissing 10 employees due to their involvement in misconduct and unauthorized collection of fees from applicants for the Ghana Card. The NIA’s decision comes after an investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) revealed their violation of authority regulations.
The report by asaaseradio.com stated that the dismissal followed a comprehensive inquiry process, which included suspending the implicated officers, constituting a disciplinary committee of inquiry to provide a fair hearing in accordance with the law, and the management’s acceptance of the committee’s recommendations.
The dismissed employees were found to have engaged in activities such as soliciting and accepting unauthorized fees from Ghana Card applicants and manipulating the registration system for personal gain. These activities were confirmed to have taken place at various NIA offices including the head office in Accra, Subin Sub-Metro District Office in Kumasi, Western Regional Office in Takoradi, Registrar General’s Department Office at Accra Central, Adentan Municipal Office, and La-Nkwantanang Municipal Office.
Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, emphasized the organization’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and ethical behavior. The dismissal of the staff members underscores the NIA’s dedication to both safeguarding the rights of its personnel and promptly enforcing the rule of law.
This move is in alignment with the NIA’s goal of establishing a robust, principled, adaptable, and competent national institution that fosters a sense of genuine national pride among its citizens. Attafuah pledged to implement additional measures to prevent such misconduct from recurring in the future.
The report reiterated that the NIA remains resolute in fulfilling its mandate of providing reliable, credible, and transparent identification services to citizens, all while maintaining the highest levels of professionalism and ethical conduct.
Former Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Prof Stephen Adei, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to issue an apology to the Ghanaian populace for the nation’s current economic challenges.
While acknowledging that the circumstances surrounding Ghana’s economy may have been beyond the control of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, Prof Adei emphasized the importance of apologizing for the deteriorating economic situation.
He remarked on the absence of a crucial aspect of governance – admitting failure. He noted that both the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administrations have refrained from openly admitting mistakes.
In an interview on Asaase Radio’s TownHall Talk, Prof Adei stated, “We have a problem with governance in this country… People in government, whether National Democratic Congress (NDC) or the New Patriotic Party (NPP), do not admit fault. I think it is a bad practice.”
He emphasized the lack of explicit apologies from the President or the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, despite the challenges faced by Ghana, including external factors such as the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic. Prof Adei suggested that the government should acknowledge the hardship faced by Ghanaians and apologize, even if some of the challenges were beyond their control.
Looking ahead, Prof Adei, who also served as the former rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), warned that Ghanaians should prepare for further difficulties after the 2024 elections.
He predicted that the next three years, regardless of the election outcome, would bring significant challenges, necessitating the mobilization of citizens to accept the realities ahead.
Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has alleged that the Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice’s (CHRAJ) residence is one of the properties demolished in November 2018 to pave way for the construction of the National Cathedral.
According to him, the rent for the Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) caused Ghanaians a whopping GHS900,000.
He revealed this in a Twitter post on Monday, August 14, 2023.
“I have only recently discovered that on the instruction of Prez Akufo-Addo, the official residence of a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ was also demolished to create more space for the construction of Akufo-Addo’s Cathedral.
“Thus far, taxpayers have spent over GH¢900,000.00 on rent for this Deputy Commissioner. (That is GH¢180,000.00 annually). CHRAJ is therefore one of the many institutions waiting to be compensated,” he added.
Earlier the MP had indicated that the Scholarship Secretariat, the Passport Office the Judicial Training Institute, the Waterstone Realty Apartment Complex.
The others : the residence of the Malian Ambassador, Offices of ComSys, a communication services provider and an economic research institute Offices of the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) were part of the structures government destroyed for the Cathedral.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has indicated that the government has completely compensated all establishments whose structures were affected in relation of the construction of the National Cathedral.
He disclosed that these organizations were given substitute parcels of public land to facilitate their relocation.
He gave this information while addressing a parliamentary session on Thursday, 27 July.
“Mr Speaker, the land on which the National Cathedral is being constructed, measuring approximately 16.26 acres, forms part of a large tract of land acquired by the state in 1910 by a certificate of title dated 29 September 1910.
“Mr Speaker, apart from the public institution that occupied the area, four private institutions had interest in the land in addition to the Embassy of the Republic of Mali. All these institutions have been provided with alternative public lands. The Embassy of the Republic of Mali and Waterstone Realty Limited have been relocated to Airport,” he said.
“The Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) has been relocated to Roman Ridge. Numo Logistics Limited has been relocated to Cantonment and Comsys Limited has been relocated to East Ridge, thus, Mr. Speaker, all persons, both public and private, who were affected by the construction have been adequately compensated by way of alternative properties,” he added.
Despite the fact that the National Cathedral project has been postponed due to lack of funds, yet, it continues to generate debate.
So far, the state has invested GHC339 million in the project, with Parliament rejecting a provision of GHC80 million in the 2023 budget.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has claimed that the rent for the Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) caused Ghanaians a whopping GHS900,000.
According to him, the deputy commissioner’s official residence was one of the properties razed in November 2018 to make way for the development of the National Cathedral.
In a Twitter post, the MP revealed the purported measures performed on the orders of President Akufo-Addo.
I have only recently discovered that on the instruction of Prez Akufo-Addo, the official residence of a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ was also demolished to create more space for the construction of Akufo-Addo’s Cathedral.
“I have only recently discovered that on the instruction of Prez Akufo-Addo, the official residence of a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ was also demolished to create more space for the construction of Akufo-Addo’s Cathedral.
“Thus far, taxpayers have spent over GH¢900,000.00 on rent for this Deputy Commissioner. (That is GH¢180,000.00 annually). CHRAJ is therefore one of the many institutions waiting to be compensated,” he wrote on Twitter.
Ablakwa’s allegations also included a list of other notable properties that were reportedly demolished for the project’s construction.
“Updated list of demolished properties: Judges’ Bungalows, Judicial Training Institute, Passport Head Office, Scholarship Secretariat, Malian Ambassador’s Residence, Comsys Ghana Limited, Waterstone Realty Apartment Complex and CHRAJ Deputy Commissioner’s Residence.
“Never again in our history should such presidential recklessness be tolerated. I really can’t wait for the Parliamentary probe to begin. Ghana First,” the tweet concluded.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that the National Cathedral of Ghana project is accumulating debts even though construction work on the project has been halted due to a lack of funds.
During an appearance on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show, Ablakwa clarified that the accumulations by early August 2023 had reached a total of $52 million.
He advised individuals asserting that the project was gradually fading away that their stance was inaccurate, as it was still incurring expenses for taxpayers. He highlighted that those suggesting harm had already been inflicted and asserting that the project had been at a standstill for 17 months, potentially succumbing to a natural cessation were not accurate in their assessment.
“I want to avert the minds of people who may be thinking that way to the fact that the contract which has been signed, a very very terrible contract per experts, even though work is not going on, there are accruals. There is something in the contract called suspension claims,” he submitted on August 5, 2023.
“So, even though the government has suspended work, every month, Ghana is paying US$500,000. Every month, so it is accruing, as we speak, the accruals alone have come to US$52 million,” he revealed.
He reminded that US$58 million had been spent already before going on to give a break down of the accruals as follows:
a. US$29m certified claim from Ribade, after the company stopped work and laid off staff in March 2022
b. Interest claim on the US$29 million is US$13 million that is what contractors are saying
c. Suspension of work so far has accrued debt of US$10m
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that despite the suspension of work on the National Cathedral of Ghana project due to a lack of funds, the project’s debt continues to grow. As of early August 2023, the accumulated debt has reached a staggering US$52 million.
Ablakwa emphasized that even though construction activities are not currently ongoing, certain contractual obligations are responsible for the ongoing debts. Notably, a concept known as “suspension claims” requires the Ghanaian government to make monthly payments of US$500,000, even during the period of suspended construction. This practice has significantly contributed to the substantial debt that has accrued.
Breaking down the sources of the debt, Ablakwa provided the following information:
A certified claim of US$29 million from Ribade, the company responsible for the construction, arising from their decision to halt work and lay off staff in March 2022.
An interest claim amounting to US$13 million on the aforementioned US$29 million, as reported by the contractors.
An additional debt of US$10 million attributed to the suspension of work itself.
This information underscores the intricate financial challenges associated with managing large-scale infrastructure projects. It highlights the potential financial consequences that can persist even when construction activities are temporarily put on hold.
This situation raises pertinent questions about the financial oversight, contractual agreements, and overall management of the National Cathedral project. Transparent communication and accountability are crucial aspects that need to be emphasized in such endeavors to ensure that public funds are utilized with maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has asserted that Ghanaians must acknowledge the highly irresponsible model chosen for the national cathedral project, labeling it as the most reckless approach seen in any national endeavor.
Ablakwa highlighted the demolition of significant structures, including the Scholarship Secretariat, passport head office, Judicial Training Institute, Judges’ bungalows, and the residence of the Malian ambassador.
He warned of potential diplomatic tensions due to the latter’s demolition.
Ablakwa emphasized that the push for an inquiry into the stalled project, supported by a private member’s motion, is driven by concerns over irregularities, procurement breaches, lawlessness, and conflicts of interest.
The establishment of an ad-hoc committee by Parliament to investigate the National Cathedral project and related matters aligns with Ablakwa’s efforts. He clarified that the intent isn’t opposition to a place of worship but rather addressing the project’s governance and priorities.
In contrast, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, asserted that institutions affected by demolitions had been fully compensated and provided with alternative lands for relocation.
He dismissed claims of inadequate compensation, stating that affected institutions were operational in various parts of Accra.
Following the passage of a motion sponsored by North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and some National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs, Parliament has decided to conduct an independent enquiry into the National Cathedral Project.
The motion alleges significant impropriety surrounding the $400 million project, with claims that $58 million has already been spent, but the work done does not correspond with the expenditure.
Mr. Ablakwa urged the House to investigate the allegations of misappropriation and seek answers regarding the discrepancies in spending.
The project’s cost has reportedly increased from the initial $100 million to $400 million, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
The North Tongu MP previously provided evidence of what he believed were dubious activities related to the construction of the National Cathedral.
“This motion is a very important one and I pray that this House will approve this under Order 191. The Order provides that the House at any time by motion appoint a special or adhoc committee to investigate any matter of national importance. The National Cathedral of Ghana is potentially the most expensive project of Ghana.”
“Already, Mr Speaker as we speak this project has ballooned from an initial $100m to $400m and is still rising.
“So far, Mr Speaker about $58m has been spent on the project and what we see has become a subject of considerable controversy. We only see a hole and we are not too sure if it is really $58 million that has gone into the project,” he said.
In his social media posts, he shared documents related to the fundraising and incorporation of the project, suggesting criminal activity may be involved.
The decision to conduct an independent enquiry reflects the House’s commitment to addressing the concerns raised and ensuring proper oversight of this high-profile project.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has slammed Metro TV broadcaster broadcaster Paul Adom-Otchere over his derogatory remarks regarding the recently released “Kitchen Scandal“.
In a recent publication titled “Kitchen Scandal on August 1,” Mr Ablakwa claimed that Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is exerting influence on Ministry of Finance officials to release GHS 187.3 million to one of his clients, West Blue Company Limited.
He also accused the Attorney-General of issuing “three pro-Gabby legal opinions on this matter.”
“The duo have also questioned the post value-for-money contract downward revisions and are insisting that the colossal West Blue demands are met.
These Gabby-Godfred positions run contrary to what the Finance Ministry had earlier communicated to West Blue through former Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Kwaku Kwarteng on January 25, 2018 which the latter accepted in writing,” Mr Ablakwa added.
In response, Mr Paul Adom-Otchere chastised the MP for being dramatic over a matter that cannot be considered a scandal looking at the details involved.
“The ‘Kitchen Scandal’ drops at 5 am, a Member of Parliament, former minister, you can you do that… You know that this letter that you have received, you have received it in the privileged position as a Member of Parliament because somebody has given it to you.
“Let’s get serious in this country… This one is a no, no, because there’s no scandal anywhere anyway. And if you were to look at it, the people who have really created a scandal are his colleagues whose names we don’t want to mention tonight, because they did their work for government and we assume that they did their work faithfully,” he said.
According to Mr Adom-Otchere, the Attorney-General cannot be considered to be “bad” as he is “resolving the problem.”
In a sharp rebuttal, Mr Ablakwa described Mr Adom-Otchere’s remarks as pathetic.
The North Tongu MP noted that he found it worrying that Mr Adom-Otchere was not concerned by the fact that the Attorney General failed to receive input from the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority but “is only worried that I put same in the public domain.”
He slammed the broadcaster for feeding Ghanaians stories that have no substance or basis.
“Ghanaians have really had enough of Paul’s cock-and-bull stories — so Paul actually expects Ghanaians to believe that Gabby didn’t know about the AG’s legal opinion but for my publication?” he quizzed.
Mr Ablakwa is of the opinion that Mr Adom-Otchere did not peruse the documents he presented to confirm his assertions.
“Had Paul read the documents I put out, he would have observed how Gabby’s law firm could state categorically in their 3rd May, 2023 letter to the Board Chair of GRA that they know that the Attorney-General hasn’t received the written arguments of GRA and the MoF after their 1st November, 2022 meeting.
If Gabby can know on authority what letters the Attorney-General hasn’t received on this matter, how can any reasonable person believe that Gabby didn’t know about the AG’s opinion long before my publications?” he further quizzed.
Meanwhile, Mr Ablakwa has raised the GHS187.3million “Kitchen Scandal” on the floor of Parliament for formal notification and further legislative action.
These are the findings of Mr Ablakwa:
On 4th August, 2015, the National Single Window System and an Integrated Risk Management System contract was awarded to West Blue Ghana Limited.
The MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, went to court in a spirited effort to stop the contract.
His Lordship Justice K.A. Okwabi on August 31, 2015, dismissed Mr Afenyo-Markin’s injunction application but the NPP continued with further legal actions in a bid to scuttle the West Blue Contract.
In August 2017, the Akufo-Addo led government got Crown Agents to complete the value-for-money audit. The outcome was that the contract did not guarantee value for money. Crown Agents recommended either a cancellation or a termination.
On 21st September 2017, Ports and Customs World Ghana, with links in Dubai, wrote to the Ministry of Finance that it had taken over West Blue and expressed readiness to renegotiate the West Blue contract.
On October 2, 2017, West Blue also wrote to the Ministry of Finance indicating that they had been taken over by Ports and Customs World.
The Government of Ghana wrote to Ports and Customs World on 25th January, 2018 on the basis of Crown Agent’s value-for-money audit, revising the fees under the contract downwards from 0.35% FoB to 0.28% FoB and bringing forward the termination date from December 2020 to December 2018.
Ports and Customs World/West Blue, per a letter dated January 30, 2018 accepted these reduced terms and new contract termination date.
On March 14, 2019, government entered into a mutual understanding with West Blue to hold the fort by delivering services on the reduced terms until government replaces them.
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has made startling revelations regarding what he refers to as the “Kitchen Scandal.”
The exposé centers around Mr. Gabriel Asare Otchere-Darko, known as Gabby Otchere-Darko, and his alleged status as the “Prime Minister” of Ghana, with significant influence over government affairs.
Ablakwa claims that the Kitchen Scandal sheds light on the modus operandi and sophisticated schemes of the “Kitchen Cabinet,” of which Gabby Otchere-Darko is a central figure.
He alleges that Gabby’s influence extends to various multi-million dollar transactions, including the controversial PDS, Agyapa, and Ameri deals.
In particular, the former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, accused Gabby of unilaterally renegotiating the infamous Ameri novation agreement, leading to the minister’s dismissal.
The focal point of the scandal revolves around a staggering GHS187.3 million liability incurred for a contract awarded to West Blue Company Limited, which Gabby Otchere-Darko is said to have championed.
Ablakwa questions how Gabby managed to garner support from elements within the Finance Ministry and the Attorney-General’s office for this payment, considering the current economic challenges faced by Ghana.
Notably, the scandal exposes the alleged shifting stance of the government. Ablakwa points out that the same contract awarded to West Blue was fiercely opposed by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) when they were in opposition.
Gabby Otchere-Darko’s current advocacy for West Blue has raised concerns about double standards and betrayal, as he now seems to hold a position contrary to the party’s earlier stance.
Ablakwa has released a series of documents, purportedly intercepted by him, which appear to corroborate the perception that Gabby Otchere-Darko yields considerable influence and can get things done as the alleged “Prime Minister” of Ghana.
The North Tongu MP’s exposé has sparked public interest and calls for transparency and accountability from the government.
As the nation awaits further developments, questions loom about the veracity of the claims made by Ablakwa and the potential implications for Ghana’s political landscape.
In the interest of objectivity and accuracy, it is important to note that these claims have been made by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and any further investigation and responses from the implicated parties are awaited.
The government and Gabby Otchere-Darko may issue official statements addressing the allegations in due course.
Read Ablakwa’s full report below.
The Kitchen Scandal
The Kitchen Scandal is a tale of betrayal, bravado, double standards, influence peddling, dishonesty, greed, collusion, arm-twisting, naked nepotism and blatant rape of the public purse.
The Kitchen Scandal will afford us a rare insight into how President Akufo-Addo’s “Kitchen Cabinet” operates and how destructive they have been to national progress.
This Kitchen Scandal reveals the modus-operandi and sophisticated schemes of the grand master in the “Kitchen Cabinet” — Mr. Gabriel Asare Otchere-Darko, who prefers to be called Gabby Otchere-Darko.
Many people say Gabby is the “Prime Minister” of Ghana and what he wants always gets done — well, the volumes of intercepted documents in my possession appears to confirm this perception.
Gabby’s name has often come up in other multi-million dollar transactions such as PDS, Agyapa and recently Ameri when former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko accused him of unilaterally renegotiating the infamous Ameri novation agreement which led to the minister’s unceremonious exit.
Justice Dotse may likely describe this Kitchen Scandal as a well-hatched conspiracy to “Create-Loot-and-Keep,” perhaps in a Cecilia Dapaah-like fashion.
This Kitchen Scandal is valued at a stupendous GHS187,356,969.55.
How Gabby Otchere-Darko managed to get sections of government including the Attorney-General and elements within the Finance Ministry to agree that his new client: West Blue Company Limited must be paid the staggering GHS187.3million is most legendary.
It is absolutely insane for Akufo-Addo’s “Kitchen Cabinet” to create this ginormous GHS187.3million liability for the Ghanaian taxpayer under this downgraded bankrupt IMF-bailout economy.
Put in proper context, GHS187.3million is more than the entire 2023 budgetary allocation for the following ministries: Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (GHS76.6million); Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (GHS44.9million); Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (GHS6.4million); Ministry of Information (GHS141.4million) and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (GHS180.9million)
The monetary value of this scandal is also greater than the full 2023 approved budgets for the following institutions: Office of the Special Prosecutor (GHS129.5million); National Development Planning Commission (GHS13.2million); CHRAJ (GHS45.4million); NCCE (GHS84.4million); National Pensions Regulatory Authority (GHS98.4million) and Office of the Head of Civil Service (GHS50.2million).
Ironically, the GHS187.3million exceeds the total annual 2023 budgeted expenditure for the salaries of all lawyers and staff at the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice (GHS155.6million); all staff at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (GHS109.3million); all staff at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (GHS80.8million); all staff of the Ministry of Roads and Highways (GHS74.6million) — just to highlight a few.
Strikingly, GHS187.3million is far greater than what the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government is spending on numerous flagship programmes such as: Railways Development (GHS164.5million); Water and Sanitation Initiative (GHS74.4million); National Identification Authority (GHS37.6million); MASLOC (GHS14.4million); Fish Landing Sites (GHS26.3million) and Zongo Development Fund (GHS24.4million).
NPP’s POSITION ON THE WEST BLUE CONTRACT
In opposition, the NPP raised fire and brimstone and mounted the most fierce resistance to the National Single Window System and an Integrated Risk Management System contract awarded to West Blue Ghana Limited on 4th August, 2015.
The NPP’s Alexander Afenyo-Markin, MP for Effutu went to court in a spirited effort to stop the contract.
Not even a ruling by His Lordship Justice K.A. Okwabi on August 31, 2015 dismissing Afenyo-Markin’s injunction application deterred the NPP from continuing with further legal actions in a bid to scuttle the West Blue Contract. I must add that these NPP-led legal actions are still pending in court, albeit cold cases now.
The NPP continued to fight the West Blue contract in and outside the courts.
On the 16th of May, 2016 — the NPP’s Director of Communications, Nana Akomea issued a statement on what they said was President Mahama’s record of corruption. First on his list was the West Blue Contract. This is what Nana Akomea wrote: “President Mahama told a blatant lie when he said in London that he does not put himself in a position to be bribed as he does not involve himself and his Office in public procurement. As fate will have it, on 12th May, 2015, exactly a year ago to the day he granted the BBC interview, the President, through a letter signed by his Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, personally and directly instructed the Minister of Finance “to formally engage West Blue Ghana Limited”, without any competitive tender. This was the contract for the implementation of the National Single Window for the inspection of goods at the ports. This contract is estimated to be worth more than $300 million over the next five year. By directing his Minister of Finance to give the contract to a particular company the President, by his own logic, had put himself in a position to be offered and receive bribe.”
The NPP won the 2016 elections and could now act on their opposition to the West Blue Contract.
The NPP Government discovered that the 4th August 2015 West Blue Contract had as a condition precedent to contract effectiveness, a value-for-money audit.
In August 2017, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government got Crown Agents to complete the value-for-money audit. The outcome was that the contract did not guarantee value for money. Crown Agents recommended either a cancellation or a termination. (Report attached).
On 21st September 2017, Ports and Customs World Ghana, with links in Dubai, wrote to the Ministry of Finance that it had taken over West Blue and expressed readiness to renegotiate the West Blue contract. (Letter attached).
On October 2, 2017, West Blue also wrote to the Ministry of Finance indicating that they had been taken over by Ports and Customs World. (Letter attached).
The Government of Ghana wrote to Ports and Customs World on 25th January, 2018 on the basis of Crown Agent’s value-for-money audit, revising the fees under the contract downwards from 0.35% FoB to 0.28% FoB and bringing forward the termination date from December 2020 to December 2018. (Letter duly attached).
Ports and Customs World/West Blue, per a letter dated January 30, 2018 accepted these reduced terms and new contract termination date. (Letter attached).
On March 14, 2019, government entered into a mutual understanding with West Blue to hold the fort by delivering services on the reduced terms until government replaces them.
DOUBLE STANDARDS AND BETRAYAL
Despite the NPP’s firm public opposition to the West Blue contract and termination of same, President Akufo-Addo’s cousin and grand master of his “Kitchen Cabinet,” Gabby Otchere-Darko has strangely become the chief advocate and super strategist for West Blue.
Gabby’s law firm, Africa Legal Associates (see articles of incorporation attached) now represent West Blue. Who would have predicted this considering the political tsunami Gabby and his collaborators created for President Mahama a few years ago in the aftermath of the West Blue contract?
Curiously, Gabby has not only surreptitiously departed from the position the NPP canvassed publicly and vehemently in opposition and in government, he has managed to get the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame to strongly agree with him.
Suddenly, to Gabby who may have transmogrified from Saul to Paul — contrary to the claims they made in opposition, the West Blue contract is no longer over priced due to sole sourcing; basically, it’s no longer a ripoff.
Now Gabby actually suggests that President Mahama’s government did not pay West Blue fully and fairly — wonders they say will never end!
In an unusual development, the Attorney-General has issued three pro-Gabby legal opinions on this matter.
What is even more worrying about the AG’s latest legal opinion dated 16th December, 2022 is that it failed to take into consideration inputs from the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority as both institutions had not submitted their written arguments. (Legal opinion attached)
Gabby and Godfred now state emphatically that despite the fact that the value-for-money condition precedent was not met, the contract is still valid.
The duo have also questioned the post value-for-money contract downward revisions and are insisting that the colossal West Blue demands are met.
These Gabby-Godfred positions run contrary to what the Finance Ministry had earlier communicated to West Blue through former Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Kwaku Kwarteng on January 25, 2018 which the latter accepted in writing. (See letters attached)
Interestingly, the previous lawyer for West Blue, Mr. Ace Anan Ankumah wrote to the Ministry of Finance on March 10, 2020 proffering a different opinion from Gabby and Godfred although it related to a proposed market value audit when he asserted: “As you are aware, the written agreement dated 4 August 2015 that West Blue entered into with the Government of Ghana, acting through the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority, for a National Single Window System and an Integrated Risk
Management System (“Agreement”) did not come into effect as the conditions precedent for
the agreement to become effective were not fulfilled. An agreement that did not become effective cannot be used as a basis for the market value audit.” (See letter attached)
Is the Attorney-General suggesting the Finance Ministry and the GRA did not seek his legal advice when they were declaring the August 4, 2015 West Blue contract ineffective?
Why is Gabby and Godfred happy to impose this huge financial burden on Ghanaians when West Blue had earlier accepted in writing the “new understandings” which substantially protect the public purse? What could be their motivation?
Does Godfred Dame recognize that by issuing his one-sided legal opinion without the inputs of Finance and GRA as he concedes, he has undermined the position of the state should Gabby decide to proceed to court? Is this a conspiracy to cause financial loss to Ghana?
That notwithstanding, I must point out that even though Gabby Otchere-Darko doesn’t state his name in all his letters for this frightening GHS187.3million West Blue demand, I can confirm that he is the one signing the letters as I have obtained his GRA Taxpayer Registration Form which bears the same signature. (See attached).
What is increasingly troubling is the shifting position of the Ministry of Finance to align with Gabby. Insiders say Ministry officials are terrified as the “Prime Minister’s” pressure mounts. Already, it is suspected in several quarters that the former Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Patrick Nomo was transferred because he wasn’t cooperating on this matter.
The new Chief Director and Ken Ofori-Atta staunch ally Eva Esselba Mends seems more amenable and is piling pressure on GRA to respond to Gabby’s 6-week ultimatum for payment to be effected. (See her 30th June, 2023 letter to GRA attached).
Analysts agree that Eva won’t be writing those letters to GRA if she didn’t have Ken’s approval.
Also, Ken’s cousin Gabby won’t be getting bolder and bolder with his threats and ultimatums if the family had a genuine objection. A really complex nepotistic web.
By some sheer coincidence, Gabby’s 6-week ultimatum letter for payment of the colossal GHS187.3million is dated May 3, 2023 — the same month Ghana received US$603million from the IMF.
DEMANDS
1. President Akufo-Addo must immediately instruct his Finance Minister and the GRA to ignore Gabby’s 6-week ultimatum and not to pay the GHS187.3million;
2. President Akufo-Addo must instruct his Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to withdraw his lopsided pro-Gabby legal opinion because of the obvious dangers to Ghana’s interest in any likely litigation;
3. President Akufo-Addo must caution his cousin, Gabriel Asare Otchere-Darko to back off and stop issuing threats to GRA officials;
4. President Akufo-Addo should as a matter of urgency constitute an independent panel to investigate these grave matters;
5. The Finance Committee of Parliament should urgently summon all parties and initiate a full-scale parliamentary inquiry into this GHS187.3million West Blue saga.
ASSURANCES
May I assure the top public officials working with me on this latest patriotic project, and the Ghanaian people that we shall not relent until this unconscionable GHS187.3million Gabby-orchestrated demand is defeated.
We are preparing to stage a mammoth “Enough of the Looting Demo” if we do not see urgent action from the President on this matter.
In a recent court victory against Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, an official of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, found support from an unexpected source – his wife, Nuhela Seidu.
Nuhela, alongside her colleague Raphael Banaagmen, played a crucial role as counsels for the lawmaker, as stated in the final ruling delivered by the court.
Ablakwa emerged victorious in a case where Kusi Boateng sought to restrict him from publishing personal details.
However, the court dismissed the case, reasoning that the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, which the clergyman claimed to be an alias, actually belonged to a different individual.
Consequently, the court ruled that Kusi Boateng lacked the necessary standing to bring the case, given the ambiguity surrounding his real identity.
This marks the second legal battle Ablakwa has won against Kusi Boateng, following the dismissal of a contempt charge weeks prior for kicking court summons.
The final case awaiting resolution involves a defamation suit brought by the clergyman against the MP.
Nuhela Seidu, a lawyer by profession, has made her mark in the legal realm and was a familiar face on television programs like Law Express.
Her appearance as part of Ablakwa’s legal team adds a significant dimension to the case.
Married to Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa since 2011, their wedding initially intended to be “private” ended up making headlines. Additionally, Nuhela is the daughter of former NDC Member of Parliament for Wa Central, Hon. M.A. Seidu.
Notably, in July 2022, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she attained an LL.M. Degree, along with two certificates of specialization in Business Law and Intellectual Property Law.
As the legal battle between Ablakwa and Kusi Boateng continues, the involvement of Nuhela Seidu serves as a testament to her expertise and commitment to supporting her husband in his quest for justice.
With her skill and experience in the legal field, she has proven to be a valuable asset to Ablakwa’s legal team, contributing significantly to their recent success in the courtroom.
A military woman has fallen victim to an alleged scam by a businessman who convinced her to pay an exorbitant sum of GHC 295,000 for services he purportedly promised to carry out on her behalf. However, it has come to light that the businessman never fulfilled these commitments, leaving the woman defrauded and distraught.
These actives include giving about GHC70,000 of the total amount to the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to make her [the military woman] a Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).
And also, he was given GHC70,000 to purchase two plots of land in Agyiriganor, in Accra.
This was contained in a Newspaper report by the Chronicle dated July 19, 2023.
According to the report, the Military woman whose name was given as Dorcas Owusuaa was allegedly lured by, Wisdom Kumordzi, 43, personnel to give him the said amount on January 16, 2023, at Burma Camp.
The suspect, Kumordzi, is said to have obtained a total of GHC295,000.00 from the military personnel.
He claimed that part of the funds would also be shared with several individuals, including the Inspector General of Police (IGP), heads of EOCO, CID, GRA, National Security, NIB, and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, as well as his Secretary to release his locked-up funds at the Central Bank.
Kumordzi has been charged with 10 counts of defrauding by false pretenses, in an Accra High Court presided over by Judge Samuel Bright Acquah. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was remanded in police custody for two weeks.
Chief Inspector Daniel Danku, the prosecuting officer, in presenting the facts of the case to the court, indicated that the complainant reported the accused to the police on April 15, 2023.
The prosecutor to the court that between September 2022 and February 2023, Kumordzi had taken various sums of money totalling GH¢295,000.00 from Owusuaa, claiming that it was for purchasing a plot of land in Agyiriganor and to settle the aforementioned individuals to release his locked-up funds.
According to Chief Insp Danku, GH¢15,000 was to be given to the Commissioner-General of GRA (Ghana Revenue Authority), GH¢15,000 to the Secretary to the Governor of BoG (Bank of Ghana), GH$20,000 to the Director of the Economic Organised Crime Office (EOCO), GH¢20,000 to the Governor of BoG, and GH¢50,000 to the National Security boss.
The complainant also gave GH¢12,000 to be given to the IGP (Inspector General of Police), GH¢10,000 to the Director of CID (Criminal Investigation Department), and GH¢13,000 to the NIB (National Intelligence Bureau) boss.
The amounts were handed over to the accused on various dates: November 15 and 18, 2022; December 2 and 5, 2022; and February 1 and 9, 2023.
In summary, the court was informed that the accused spent six months collecting these sums of money from the complainant under false pretences.
The Prosecutor told the court that the accused, after collecting the said money, started playing hide and seek with the complainant till she lured him to the Cantonments Police Station, where he was arrested.
Although the accused admitted to receiving the funds from the complainant, he claimed that it was part of a business transaction with his supposed wife.
Chief Inspector Danku added that the accused requested time from the police to repay the money to the complainant.
So far, Kumordzi has repaid GH¢110,000.00 to the police, which has been returned to the complainant upon request.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has alleged that Nigerian businessman Phillips Olawole Olaiya, has unethically taken advantage of his relationship with government to make “unconscionable sweetheart deals” that have had negative effects on the economy.
In a Facebook post over the weekend, Mr Ablakwa noted that despite companies belonging to Phillips Olawole Olaiya having no track record, they have been provided with contract worth US$371.5million in the communication sector being spearheaded by Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.
Among the “controversial” contracts awarded to the “Nigerian cabal” include: Kelni GVG revenue assurance deal valued at US$178million; Smart Infraco COVID-19 Smart workplace deal valued at US$36million; Ascend Digital Solutions Limited Rural Telephony deal valued at US$48million; Ascend/AirtelTigo JV World Bank funded eTransform project valued at US$49.5million.
The last but not least is the National Communication Authority’s (NCA) clandestine new Electronic Communications Managed Services License (ECMSL).
According to Mr Ablakwa, this contract seeks to “restrict Ericsson and Huawei so as to create a new looting category for this same Nigerian Cabal in a deal experts say can potentially generate US$60million in conservative annual profits.”
In the signing of these deals, Mr Ablakwa alleges “the flagrant violation of our procurement laws, rigged systems to favour them, and the impunity with which they flout other laws.”
For Mr Ablakwa, it is unacceptable for the IT geniuses in Ghana to be abandoned for those in Nigeria.
“What happened to the once celebrated and well established Ghanaian IT firms? Will any Nigerian President or Nigerian Ministers of State do this for any Ghanaian businessman?Will Nigerians and Nigerian industry players accept this if it happened in their country?” he quizzed.
He argued that the Ghanaian economy would fare much better should Ghanaian tech entrepreneurs have been provided with US$371.5million to enable them to assume commanding heights.
Meanwhile, Mr Ablakwa has pledged to continue to track the issue as a lot more is in the offing.
Source: The Independent Ghana | Andy Ogbarmey-Tettey
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak, has emphasized the need for the Attorney General and Minister for Justice to initiate legal proceedings against Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
This statement follows a recent Facebook post by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, where he mentioned that the Human Rights Court had dismissed Rev. Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi’s application seeking restraint against him.
According to Ablakwa, the court’s ruling affirmed that his parliamentary oversight had exposed two distinct identities with behaviors bordering on criminality, resulting in the application’s dismissal due to lack of capacity and locus standi.
The judge also awarded a cost of GHS10,000.00 against Rev. Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, marking the second time such costs have been awarded against them.
In response to these developments, Dr. Apaak emphasized that Rev. Kusi Boateng is not exempt from the laws of the land and urged the Attorney General to take necessary action in prosecuting him.
“How did such a character become Sec and Board of Trustee of a National Cathedral? How many more criminals are walking freely in the Presidency? The Presidency has been so, so, so DEPRAVED! The AG must prosecute him immediately, he is not above the law!” Dr. Apaak stated.
Below is the full statement by Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The Human Rights Court has today dismissed Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi’s application which sought to restrain me.
The court’s judgment was emphatic that my parliamentary oversight had unraveled two distinct identities in conduct which borders on criminality and therefore the application was dismissed for lack of capacity and locus standi.
The judge awarded cost of GHS10,000.00 against Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. This is the second time cost has been awarded against Kusi Boateng/Adu Gyamfi.
I dedicate this latest legal victory to the masses who have kept me resolute with their prayers and support for transparent and accountable governance.
I am indebted to my outstanding legal team.
2 down; 1 more to go in his defamation suit.
For God and Country.
Ghana First
Summary of Judgment
It has been proven that Kwabena Adu Gyamfi and Victor Kusi Boateng are two separate identities concurrently used by the Applicant and 1st Respondent is justified in his claims that, Victor Kusi Boateng is not an alias but another separate identity altogether.
The way the two identities were used does not suggest a simple case of two different names, but rather two independent and totally separate identities to conceal applicant’s dealings in a manner that was not obvious, until the investigations and publications of 1st Respondent.
Applicant’s assertion that the use of two names in the manner he has done is not a crime under our laws is misconceived, as the two identities were used in a pattern of duplicity depicting a lack of transparency and this conduct borders on criminality.
The Application was sought to be enforced under Article 33(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which requires an Applicant’s personal interest in the matter to confer locus standi.
From the record, it is not clear which of the two separate identities seeks to enforce its fundamental human rights by this suit. And once there is a clear case of double identity presented and proven before this court, this Application is dismissed for lack of capacity and locus standi.
Costs of GHC10,000 awarded against the Applicant in favour of the 1st Respondent.
A High Court in Accra has dismissed a case brought by Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, against Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Member of Parliament for North Tongu.
Rev. Kusi Boateng, who is a secretary and board member of the National Cathedral project, had sought to stop Ablakwa from making further publications about his alleged involvement in conflict of interest and criminality.
However, the court ruled that Ablakwa had uncovered two distinct and separate identities used by Rev. Kusi Boateng in a manner that was not transparent and bordered on criminality.
The court also awarded a cost of GH¢10,000 against Rev. Kusi Boateng, who had earlier lost another case against Ablakwa for contempt of court.
Ablakwa celebrated the ruling on his Facebook page, dedicating it to the masses who supported him in his quest for transparent and accountable governance.
He also thanked his legal team and said he was ready for the third and final case of defamation filed by Rev. Kusi Boateng.
How did he do it?
According to the summary of the judgment, Ablakwa had conducted investigations and published documents that showed that Rev. Kusi Boateng had used two different names and identities in various transactions and dealings.
For instance, he had registered a company called Power Chapel Worldwide Limited as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, but used Victor Kusi Boateng as his name in other official documents.
He had also acquired properties and bank accounts under both names, without any evidence of change of name or alias.
The court said that this was not a simple case of using two different names, but rather two independent and totally separate identities to conceal his dealings in a manner that was not obvious.
The court rejected Rev. Kusi Boateng’s argument that using two names was not a crime under Ghanaian laws, saying that it was a pattern of duplicity that depicted a lack of transparency and this conduct bordered on criminality.
What does this mean for the National Cathedral?
The National Cathedral project is a controversial initiative by the government to build a multi-faith worship centre in Accra.
It has faced criticism from some sections of the public who question its necessity, cost and location.
Rev. Kusi Boateng is one of the key figures behind the project, as he is a secretary and board member of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees.
His exposure as having a double identity raises questions about his credibility and integrity, as well as the transparency and accountability of the project.
It also casts doubt on his role and influence in the project, as well as his relationship with other stakeholders and donors.
A project being implemented by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization has prompted the member of parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to reveal that he has petitioned the World Bank.
Ablakwa said last week that Ursula Owusu Ekuful, the sector minister, had awarded a contract worth US$48 million without PPA permission using documents from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
He provided more information, which the minister disregarded as an instance of moving the goal posts on the matter.
On July 12, 2023; the lawmaker published a formal petition he had submitted to the World Bank a day prior seeking a probe into the “irregularities, misrepresentation, insider dealing & conflict of interest,” around the US$48million Ascend Scandal.
He captioned his tweet thus: “Yesterday I petitioned @WorldBank to launch investigations into the litany of irregularities, misrepresentation, insider dealing & conflict of interest relating to the US$48million Ascend Scandal & how that was used to fraudulently secure a US$49.5m WB funded eTransform project.”
The senior investigator for the World Bank in Washington, Ms. Maria C. Mallo, was the recipient of the eight-page petition. According to Ablakwa, the anti-corruption policies of the bank served as the foundation for his plea.
Yesterday I petitioned @WorldBank to launch investigations into the litany of irregularities, misrepresentation, insider dealing & conflict of interest relating to the US$48million Ascend Scandal & how that was used to fraudulently secure a US$49.5m WB funded eTransform project. pic.twitter.com/7kvxeIPKNz
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) July 12, 2023
Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) has reacted to a press statement said to have been issued by its outfit by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Mr Ablakwa, in efforts to prove that Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, awarded a US$48million contract without Public Procurement Authority (PPA) approval cited a statement dated December 15, 2021 from GIFEC.
Per the statement titled “Proof of existing contract between Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications and Ascend Digital Solutions Limited”, there is an existing contract with Ascend Digital Solutions, a Nigerian company Mr Ablakwa claims has hijacked the Communications & Digitalization sector.
Acting Administrator of GIFEC, Prince Ofosu Sefah, who is a signature to the said letter confirmed that the Nigerian company is currently executing on behalf of GIFEC a contract for Engineering Design, Build, Rollout and Telephony Project involving Cell Sites in the 2016 communities.
“Ascend Digital Solutions Limited has been delivering these services to us since February 2020,” the letter revealed, adding that “the duration of the Build and Rollout Contract is until August 2023, while the Managed Services Contract is renewable, after an initial agreement for two years.”
But in a statement dated July 7, 2023, GIFEC noted that “the Administrator does not recall issuing the said letter.”
According to the company, the two-year old statement does not bear requisite characteristics of an official GIFEC letter, with a reference number and trypically contains other features which are lacking on the said letter.
“Extensive checks at the GIFEC Secretariat also, indicates that there is no record of such letter being issued,” the statement added.
With regards to the substantive subject matter of the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project (GRT&DIP), GIFEC confirmed that it is implementing the project on behalf of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD), and the contractual technical partners are Huawei and CNTIC.
All applicable approvals for the GRT&DIP contract (Cabinet, Parliamentary and Public Procurement Authority) are in place,” GIFEC noted.
In view of this, GIFEC asserted that it is not undertaking any contract not approved by all relevant authorities.
“GIFEC has been hard at work over the last couple of years, implementing this unprecedented and beneficial national project on behalf of the MoCD and in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, towards closing the Digital Divide,” it added.
The role of GIFEC in the US$48million contract scandal came to being after Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful challenged Mr Ablakwa to provide evidence that her outfit awarded the said contract to Ascend Digital Solutions Limited.
Mr Ablakwa in a Facebook post on July 6, 2023, accused Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful of awarding a US$48million contract awarded without Public Procurement Authority (PPA) approval.
He made this claim while citing a PPA’s response to his request made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The request dated 8th June was titled “REQUEST FOR INFORMATION,” and read in part: “Respectfully, can you confirm if the Public Procurement Authority has granted procurement approval as required per theProcurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended with (Act 914) to Ascend Digital Solutions under a US$48 million Rural Telephony Project contract purportedly for Engineering, Design, Build, Rollout and Managed Services which is being executed by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization since the year 2020.”
The PPA in its response dated 30th June, 2023 and signed by Deputy Chief Executive Kwame Prempeh per the letter shared by the North Tongu MP read: “We wish to inform you that our records do not reflect any information of the above-mentioned project.”
But Mrs Ursusla Owusu-Ekuful insisted the claims levelled against her by Mr Ablakwa are false and asked him to “please produce the contract you claim I signed without PPA approval.”
Barely 5 hours after being dared to provide evidence to back his claim that Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, awarded a US$48million contract without Public Procurement Authority (PPA) approval, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has released his first evidence.
The North Tongu MP, Mr Ablakwa, after announcing his acceptance of the Communications Minister’s challenge on the US$48million scandal, has in a Facebook post provided a letter from Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) corroborating his claim.
Ablakwa, please produce the contract you claim I signed without PPA approval. This is the only RTP contract I have signed, approved by Parliament pic.twitter.com/KS1cfFxafz
Per the letter dated December 15, 2021, titled “Proof of existing contract between Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications and Ascend Digital Solutions Limited”, there is an existing contract with Ascend Digital Solutions, a Nigerian company Mr Ablakwa claims has hijacked the Communications & Digitalization sector.
Acting Administrator of GIFEC, Prince Ofosu Sefah, who is a signature to the said letter confirmed that the Nigerian company is currently executing on behalf of GIFEC a contract for Engineering Design, Build, Rollout and Telephony Project involving Cell Sites in the 2016 communities.
“Ascend Digital Solutions Limited has been delivering these services to us since February 2020,” the letter revealed, adding that “the duration of the Build and Rollout Contract is until August 2023, while the Managed Services Contract is renewable, after an initial agreement for two years.”
Background
Mr Ablakwa in a Facebook post on July 6, 2023, accused Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful of awarding a US$48million contract awarded without Public Procurement Authority (PPA) approval.
He made this claim while citing a PPA’s response to his request made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The request dated 8th June was titled “REQUEST FOR INFORMATION,” and read in part: “Respectfully, can you confirm if the Public Procurement Authority has granted procurement approval as required per theProcurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended with (Act 914) to Ascend Digital Solutions under a US$48 million Rural Telephony Project contract purportedly for Engineering, Design, Build, Rollout and Managed Services which is being executed by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization since the year 2020.”
The PPA in its response dated 30th June, 2023 and signed by Deputy Chief Executive Kwame Prempeh per the letter shared by the North Tongu MP read: “We wish to inform you that our records do not reflect any information of the above-mentioned project.”
But Mrs Ursusla Owusu-Ekuful insisted the claims levelled against her by Mr Ablakwa are false and asked him to “please produce the contract you claim I signed without PPA approval.”
Ablakwa, please produce the contract you claim I signed without PPA approval. This is the only RTP contract I have signed, approved by Parliament pic.twitter.com/KS1cfFxafz
According to Mr Ursula Owusu-Ekuful in a Twitter post on July 7, 2023, the only RTP contract signed is a commercial contract agreement between the government of Ghana, Huawei Technologies and China National Technical Import and Export Corporation.
An amount of €155,000,000 was requested by the Communications Minister to be used to execute the implementation of the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project.
Source: The Independent Ghana | Andy Ogbarmey-Tettey
Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has challenged Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to provide details of the said US$48million contract awarded without Public Procurement Authority (PPA) approval.
Mr Ablakwa in a Facebook post on July 6, 2023, claimed that “the contract was dubiously awarded to the same Nigerian cabal which has hijacked the Communications & Digitalization sector.”
He made this claim while citing a PPA’s response to his request made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The request dated 8th June was titled “REQUEST FOR INFORMATION,” and read in part: “Respectfully, can you confirm if the Public Procurement Authority has granted procurement approval as required per theProcurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended with (Act 914) to Ascend Digital Solutions under a US$48 million Rural Telephony Project contract purportedly for Engineering, Design, Build, Rollout and Managed Services which is being executed by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization since the year 2020.”
The PPA in its response dated 30th June, 2023 and signed by Deputy Chief Executive Kwame Prempeh per the letter shared by the North Tongu MP read: “We wish to inform you that our records do not reflect any information of the above-mentioned project.”
But Mrs Ursusla Owusu-Ekuful insists the claims levelled against her by Mr Ablakwa are false and has asked him to “please produce the contract you claim I signed without PPA approval.”
Ablakwa, please produce the contract you claim I signed without PPA approval. This is the only RTP contract I have signed, approved by Parliament pic.twitter.com/KS1cfFxafz
According to Mr Ursula Owusu-Ekuful in a Twitter post on July 7, 2023, the only RTP contract signed is a commercial contract agreement between the government of Ghana, Huawei Technologies and China National Technical Import and Export Corporation.
An amount of €155,000,000 was requested by the Communications Minister to be used to execute the implementation of the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project.
Source: The Independent Ghana | Andy Ogbarmey-Tettey
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of parliament for North Tongu, has disclosed that Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, minister of communications, improperly awarded a multi-million dollar contract.
The MP offered correspondence between himself and the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) in a post from July 6, 2023 on his social media accounts to support his accusations.
“In my latest exposé, I reveal how Communications Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful shockingly awarded a US$48million contract without PPA approval,” portions of his caption for the post read.
“The contract was dubiously awarded to the same Nigerian cabal which has hijacked the Communications & Digitalization sector,” he added.
Ablakwa’s request dated 8th June was titled “REQUEST FOR INFORMATION,” and read in part: “Respectfully, can you confirm if the Public Procurement Authority has granted procurement approval as required per the Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as amended with (Act 914) to Ascend Digital Solutions under a US$48 million Rural Telephony Project contract purportedly for Engineering, Design, Build, Rollout and Managed Services which is being executed by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization since the year 2020.”
The PPA in its response dated 30th June, 2023 and signed by Deputy Chief Executive Kwame Prempeh read: “We wish to inform you that our records do not reflect any information of the above-mentioned project.”
Read Ablakwa’s full post below:
In the midst of the ongoing political persecution by the Akufo-Addo government, it is important to shed light on the true perpetrators of severe wrongdoing against the Ghanaian people.
In my latest disclosure, I uncover a shocking incident involving Communications Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, who granted a staggering US$48 million contract without obtaining the necessary approval from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
The PPA’s response to my request made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act confirms this blatant violation, which raises serious concerns. This particular contract was suspiciously awarded to a Nigerian group that has effectively seized control of the Communications & Digitalization sector.
It is worth noting that the removal of EC boss Charlotte Osei was justified on grounds of procurement breaches, while others have been unjustly incarcerated for far less severe procurement infractions. These stark inconsistencies in the treatment of individuals involved in procurement malpractices are deeply concerning.
MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has expressed concern over the detrimental impact that Gyakye Quayson’s trial will have on the functioning of the Ghanaian Parliament.
The lawmaker said that every time the Minority boycotts the House to accompany Quayson in court, it will undermine the prominence of democracy in the country.
Ablakwa explained that this is a result of President Akufo-Addo‘s belligerent persecution of James Gyakye Quayson.
“It’s a shame that parliamentary business & democratic cooperation will henceforth suffer because of Akufo-Addo’s belligerent persecution of the overwhelmingly twice-elected Assin North MP,” Ablakwa wrote on Twitter.
The Minority caucus in Parliament was absent today, Thursday, July 6, 2023, to accompany the leader of the caucus, Ato Forson and the MP for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson for their respective trials.
The Minority in Parliament on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, took a firm stance to abstain from participating in the parliamentary business on days Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson, is scheduled to appear in court.
In a show of solidarity, Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson announced that the entire Minority caucus will accompany Mr. Quayson to court, expressing their disapproval of what they perceive as ongoing persecution against him.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is providing mechanized boreholes for at least 100 villages in his constituency.
Deve, Avilordzogbe, Nyagblorkpor & Ayiram are among the communities that have seen work begin. Drilling and constructing pillars are currently ongoing, the MP said in a Facebook post.
According to Mr Ablakwa, he is pleased by the fact that his dream to provide mechanished boreholes for communities deprived of safe drinking water is “taking shape”.
Ghana has been facing significant challenges regarding water availability and access, leading to a water crisis in certain regions of the country.
The water crisis in Ghana can be attributed to various factors, including illegal mining, population growth, urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, climate change, and inefficient water management practices.
The Ghanaian government has taken steps to address the water crisis, including the implementation of water management policies, investment in infrastructure development, and promoting sustainable water practices.
Efforts have been made to end illegal mining practices, expand access to potable water, improve sanitation facilities, and enhance water resource management.
However, despite these initiatives, challenges persist, and more comprehensive and sustainable solutions are required to address the water crisis in Ghana effectively.
The Director of the National Cathedral, Dr Paul Opoku Mensah, has taken a swipe at the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, over allegations of corruption he has made on the cathedral project.
According to him, all the allegations the legislator has made on the cathedral project are lies which should be disregarded.
Speaking in an interview on UTV, on Friday, June 9, 2023, Dr Opoku Mensah added that members of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral are mute on the allegations being made by Ablakwa because they can’t go on social media to debate lies.
“None of what Okudzeto Ablakwa is saying is true. We don’t respond to his claims because we are doing the work of God and we can’t follow him to social media (to debate).
“We have all the records of the monies used and they were sent to parliament. This is it, we are not telling lies,” he said in the Twi dialect.
He added that all the support the cathedral project has received from the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government was approved by the Parliament of Ghana.
Ablakwa, in his latest exposé on the National Cathedral, alleged that the architect for the National Cathedral of Ghana, Sir David Adjaye, was paid an additional $6 million just for amending the original design of the cathedral to include a restaurant.
In a series of tweets shared on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, the MP slammed the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government for its continued failure to prioritise the needs of the country given the current economic hardships.
Ablakwa could not believe that the government which says it has no money to pay school feeding caters, can afford to pay for works on the cathedral.
The MP shared a supposed document from the Ministry of Finance showing the said payment.
“Please refer to your letter No. SCR/DE3/296/02 dated 27th April 2021 requesting the release of US$5.817.769.65 (Five Million, Eight Hundred and Seventeen Thousand, Seven Hundred and Sixty- Nine US Dollars, Sixty-Five Cents) to pay consultancy fees in respect of the Variation Orders for the inclusion of 300+ Seater Restaurant and Expansion of the Bible Museum on the National Cathedral Project.
“We wish to suggest that due to budgetary constraints, the request in respect of the Variation Orders be charged to your funding source while Government take steps to provide additional funding for the project in the course of the year,” parts of the document read.
$22.07 million of the $58.1 million of the taxpayer money allotted by the government, according to the member of parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, was given to the contractor for thenational cathedral.
Ablakwa further stated that this amount was unlawfully withdrawn from the National Cathedral Funds.
In a tweet, the lawmaker expressed his disappointment at the lack of outrage among Ghanaians regarding the construction of the National Cathedral.
He emphasized that despite the controversies surrounding the project, the government audaciously continues to demand $100 million to import steel.
“National” Cathedral contractor, RIBADE JV received only US$22.07million out of the US$58.1million of taxpayer funds illegally withdrawn for the project. Ghanaians are not angry enough,” he tweeted.
“National” Cathedral contractor, RIBADE JV received only US$22.07million out of the US$58.1million of taxpayer funds illegally withdrawn for the project.
Ghanaians are not angry enough.
It is absolutely incredible that with the avalanche of scandals which cannot even fit into pic.twitter.com/aVL7KHz3qy
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) May 30, 2023
The North Tongu constituency lawmaker, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has appealed to President Akufo-Addo to sympathize with the struggles faced by Ghanaians.
This was in reaction to the president’s address to the nation on Sunday, May 28, 2023, where he lifted all COVID-19 restrictions and proclaimed an end to the disease as a health emergency.
But the lawmaker has expressed worry that throughout the 37-minutes-long address of Akufo-Addo, there was no hint of scrapping the burdening COVID-19 levy and the E-levy, due to the IMF bailout.
In a Facebook post, the MP stated that “Ghanaians expected President Akufo-Addo to have announced the scrapping of the unjustifiable COVID-19 levy as he lifts all covid restrictions.
“Ghanaians also expected the awful E-Levy to be abolished since his government has opted for an IMF bailout.”
Ablakwa also pleaded with President Akufo-Addo to be sincere and sensitive to the sufferings of Ghanaians in these hard times.
“President Akufo-Addo must be sincere and sensitive to the plight of suffering Ghanaians,” he stated.
The MP for North Tongu also emphasized the need for lawmakers to unite to remove the COVID-19 and E-levies to address the plights of Ghanaians.
“I hope all parliamentarians will come together in the national interest, and take advantage of the mid-year budget review to expunge those two obsolete taxes.
“As President Akufo-Addo continues to let Ghanaians down, Parliament cannot afford to fail. May we be the people’s saving grace,” he added.
Member of Parliament from the North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has predicted that government will soon introduce draconian tax measures as a result of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.
He said about 50 new tax measures are likely to be introduced per analysis.
“The analysis we have shows that because of this (the IMF) bailout, there are going to be 50 new tax measures… income tax is coming to be progressive.
“There is going to be quarterly tariff adjustment. So, every quarter, electricity tariffs are going to go up, can you believe that, every quarter?” the MP asked.
Ghana has been able to secure an IMF loan of US$ 3 billion. On Wednesday, May 17, 2023, the Bretton Wood Institution approved the loan, with a $ 600 million immediate payout.
$350 million would be disbursed every six months for the three-year programme.
While some have described the loan as timely, others including the North Tongu MP, have expressed concerns over the conditions of the deal.
Mr Ablakwa intimated that: “this is going to be the most painful” and “the most bitter IMF programme.”
“I asked myself who negotiated this on behalf of Ghanaians? Does the person have a heart? Does the person care about Ghanaians?,” he asked in an interview with Metro TV.
Additionally, he said that the deal negotiated on behalf of the people of Ghana includes an additional debt restructuring programme.
Also, public sector employment will be restricted for the 3 years span of the IMF programme, he added.
About the IMF deal
On May 17, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a 36-month arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) in an amount equivalent to SDR 2.242 billion (around US$3 billion, or 304 percent of quota).
The program is based on the government’s Post COVID-19 Program for Economic Growth (PC-PEG), which aims to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability and includes wide-ranging reforms to build resilience and lay the foundation for stronger and more inclusive growth.
The program will help Ghana overcome immediate policy and financing challenges, including through its catalytic effect in mobilizing external financing from development partners and providing a framework for the successful completion of the ongoing debt restructuring.
Mr. Mahama delivering an acceptance speech following his victory in the NDC’s Primaries at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Monday, 15 May 2023, pledged his commitment to run a government with fewer officials and appointees as compared to the current Akufo-Addo-led administration.
“I am committed to operating an effective government with not more than sixty (60) ministers. These Ministers together with other appointees of the government will not be entitled to ex-gratia payments after their tenure, as they will commit to that undertaking even before the necessary constitutional amendments, including a review of the controversial Article 71,” Mr Mahama stated.
Reacting to the NDC flagbearer’s speech, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, 16 May 2023, the North Tongu MP who went unopposed in the just-ended Primaries, indicated that Mr Mahama would be saving the taxpayer GH¢350 million if he fulfills his pledge.
“John Mahama’s inspiring & patriotic pledge to appoint not more than 60 Ministers & Deputies, and to prevent all his appointees from receiving ex-gratia payments, will at current conditions of service potentially save the Ghanaian taxpayer an impressive GH¢350million in four years,” Mr. Ablakwa posted on the social media platform.
North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says he would not have any problem should the government delay salaries of the political class so it pays members of the Pensioner Bondholders Forum their monies.
The lawmaker said the pensioners depend on their investments to take care of their medical bills and other expenses as they are not in active service.
Mr Ablakwa said the government must urgently find a way to pay them their monies to avoid any further problems for the old folks.
Speaking on Metro TV on Friday, May 12, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee also advised the government to cut expenditure, including spending on the National Cathedral Secretariat, free fuel coupons and others to settle the monies of the pensioners.
“I don’t mind if the government says it will delay our salaries, those of us in active politics now so the monies for these pensioners can be paid. I don’t mind at all.
“The salaries of all of us MPs, Ministers and all. So there are so many things we can cut. The salaries of the political class be suspended while we look at that.
“The fuel coupons, official travels, the cathedral secretariat. Why are we keeping that secretariat open and paying people salaries after all the scandals. You know this president does not believe in small things. He likes big things, big government and large life,” he said.
Since Monday, the retirees have been gathering at the Ministry from 10am to 11am every day chanting patriotic songs in the hope that their presence will pile pressure on government to honour the about 19 coupons and 3 principals outstanding.
For most pensioners, the delay in payment does not only affect them but their dependents also.
An aggrieved member in a media interview narrated his frustration and called on the government to urgently pay them their monies.
“All we want is our monies to be paid. The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, promised to give us our money, but up till now we have not received anything.
“We are monitoring everything because we worked hard, there’s no way any of our monies will go unpaid that we will not track. We are not asking for any social services, we are asking for our money.
“Please convey to the Finance Minister that he must keep his word and pay us. We wouldn’t be here if he had kept his promise,” he said.
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has apologized for kicking court papers served on him by a bailiff in February this year.
The MP was sued for contempt of court by Victor Kusi Boateng, secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, who had earlier filed a restraining order against him for making public disclosures of his private information.
The contempt case, which sought to jail Ablakwa for disrespecting the courts and the judicial system, was dismissed last week with the judge awarding cost of 10,000 cedis to Ablakwa.
Ablakwa has explained why he kicked the court papers as served on him at the premises of Metro TV in Accra, which footage went viral on social media.
Speaking on Good Evening Ghana programme (May 5, 2023) he was asked by co-panelist Nana Akomea why he did what he did in February this year
Ablakwa explained: “I was extremely provoked; I was asking the gentleman who are you and he wouldn’t tell me. He just says ‘I have documents for you,’ I say ‘which documents?’ Just let me know, then he threw it at me.
“So, I lost my cool… honestly that is not me. It was an unfortunate incident …but I felt so disrespected. I was driving myself and I thought I could just kick it out of my way and go away,” he added.
He also said that in court, the plaintiff failed to provide proof of service when the judge demanded it because the supposed bailiff was not known to the court, a fact his lawyers established when they went through the court registry.
He apologized for his action and said he had learned his lesson from the incident. He also thanked his lawyers and supporters for standing by him throughout the case.
He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the case and said he was vindicated by the court’s ruling. He said he would continue to fight for accountability and transparency in public affairs.
Lawyer Eric Otchere Darko, a trustee of the National Cathedral of Ghana project in the United States, has responded to the latest exposé on the construction of the project by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
According to legal practitioner, the allegation made by the MP, including the National Cathedral being fraudulently registered, are mere fabrications.
Lawyer Otchere Darko explained that none of the clergymen on the Board of the Cathedral in Ghana are not on the Board of Trustees in the US because they are not US citizens.
He added that for a company to be registered under a person’s name in the US, the person must either be a US citizen or a US resident with a green card.
“The National Cathedral Foundation is a tax exemption company and for such a company can only be registered in the US by an American citizen or a green card holder with a social security number,” he said in Twi in an Okay FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
The lawyer also said that a claim by Ablakwa that the consultant of the cathedral project, Cary Lee Summers, was paid US$6 million and operates from a warehouse, is false.
He added that the facility Ablakwa went to was a warehouse and not the office of Lee Summers and that to the best of his knowledge, the consultant has been paid less than $1 million.
What Ablakwa said:
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa alleged that the American consultant to the National Cathedral project gave an official address that leads to a warehouse.
He said that when he visited the facility during his trip, he saw no offices but rather: “a ramshackle warehouse with the inscription: Churchill Coffee Company, Wholesale Division.”
“We also decided to embark on the long travel to Springfield in Missouri where Mr. Cary Lee Summers who has been given US$ 6 million of our money is described on the National Cathedral of Ghana website as Consultant for the United States.
“When we arrived at that address, there was nothing about the Nehemiah Group. We surprisingly saw quite a ramshackle warehouse with the inscription: Churchill Coffee Company, Wholesale Division,” he added.
The MP also said that Eric Okyere Darko, a member of the legal team of Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, was listed as a trustee on the Ghana National Cathedral in Washington DC registration documents in the United States.
The MP stated in his social media post that per his checks, the project’s registration details in Ghana differed from what he got from that of the US.
Also, whiles eminent clergymen were dominant on the Board of Trustees in Ghana registration papers, in the case of the US, there were three persons.
The only common personality on both sides is Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, the Executive Secretary to the National Cathedral of Ghana project.
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed that the US registration of the National Cathedral project is not limited to Washington DC as he reported earlier this week.
With documentary evidence backing his latest publication of National Cathedral scandals from his special visit to the US, the lawmaker has revealed that the project has also been registered in the states of Illinois and Oaklahoma.
This was contained in social media posts published on May 6, 2023; dubbed “Episode 3 of the “National Cathedral Scandals — American Edition.”
In his introduction, Ablakwa wrote: “Episode 3 reveals deeply distressing findings from the two US states of Oklahoma and Illinois.”
Ablakwa noted that previous documentations made available by the Cathedral secretariat and publicly available information on its website showed that it operated only one external office in Washington, D.C.
The MP in the first part of his publications (May 2) said the said, with address: 1090 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20005, “has now turned out to be fictitious.”
He continued: “I can today reveal that there has been a bustling hive of activity beyond Washington, D.C. and Missouri. I have secured true certified copies of registration and other documentation of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. in Oklahoma and Illinois. (These documents are duly attached and made public for the first time.)”
Ablakwa in 10 points made critical observations as contained on the said registration documentation and stressed the issues of corporate governance breaches and what he referred to as illegalities involved in the transactions.
He also asked critical questions of how three persons had been listed in both documentation as trustees, raising questions of their accountability to the state and also decrying how Ghana’s strong diplomatic presence in the US has been sidelined.
The National Cathedral Secretariat has reacted to the latest exposé released by North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on the National Cathedral, urging Ghanaians to disregard the findings since they are mere “distortions of information.”
In a response issued on Thursday May 4, 2023, the Secretariat said the project “has been implemented with integrity, and with no criminality” as the MP claims.
It comes after the MP released a “bombshell” about the National Cathedral Project. The MP cited a number of “anomalies.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in episode 2 of his Cathedral Scandal publications alleged that the secretariat in registering the US wing used the details of a dead Hispanic man, one Jose Salgado.
He referenced a US social security number as provided on the registration papers he had secured and other cehcks to arrive at that conclusion.
The Secretariat, however, in rebutting the claim explained that the MP had misquoted two different tax numbers as used in the US.
They accused Ablakwa of quoting a different Social Security Number to run checks on the corporate institution, which are by law provided with Tax ID numbers.
The release was signed by Executive Director to the National Cathedral of Ghana, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah.
The relevant portions explaining Ablakwa’s mistake were as follows: “3) In arriving at this so-called Identity theft, the MP distorts the information on the registration documents by taking the Taxpayer ID number: 86-3859197 (Appendix 1), and disingenuously changes it to the social security number, SSN: 863-85-9197 belonging to a deceased named, Jose Salgado (Appendix 2). He then proceeds to accuse the National Cathedral of using the “stolen” identity of the deceased to register.
“4) For the record, the Taxpayer ID Number is issued for corporations and is separated by one dash, to wit, 86-3859197. This taxpayer ID Number is derived from the Employment Identification Number (EIN), which is applied for, as the first step in the application for a tax-exempt status (See appendix 3).
“5) The Social Security Number (SSN), on the other hand, is issued to individuals, and is separated by two dashes, to wit, 863-85-9197. Even if the numbers are the same, because of the dashes, they mean different things. Thus, the taxpayer ID (86-3859197) is not the same thing as the social security number (863-85-9197).”
