The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has declared former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta a wanted fugitive from justice.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, February 12, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng revealed that Ofori-Atta, who is currently outside the country, is accused of causing significant financial loss to the state through his alleged involvement in five questionable deals executed during his time in office.
The deals in question include the following:
GRA-SML Deal
The contractual arrangements between Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) aimed at enhancing revenue assurance in the petroleum and minerals sectors.
In 2019, GRA made a payment of over ₵1 billion to SML for services under this deal, which had not received approval from the Public Procurement Authority, as required by the constitution.
The contract violated procurement laws, including the lack of a technical needs assessment, no involvement of the Public Procurement Authority, and failure to obtain parliamentary approval.
ECG-BEIJING Contract
The termination of a Distribution, Loss Reduction, and Associated Network Improvement Project contract between the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG) and Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology (BXC), which Ofori-Atta facilitated.
The contract aimed to enhance power efficiency and reduce power loss but was terminated under unclear circumstances. The OSP has expressed interest in investigating the reasons behind the termination, and Ofori-Atta is expected to answer questions regarding this.
National Cathedral
The procurement of contractors and materials, as well as activities and payments concerning the stalled National Cathedral project, also form part of the allegations.
In 2020, Ofori-Atta authorised the release of ₵142.7 million for the project as requested by President Akufo-Addo’s Chief of Staff.
Despite the release of these funds, the project remains incomplete, and allegations of mismanagement have surfaced, with Ofori-Atta being blamed for releasing the funds without proper consideration for value for money and accountability.
1 District 1 Ambulance Initiative
This concerns a contract awarded by the Ministry of Health, initially managed by the Ministry for Special Development Initiatives, to Service Ghana Auto Group Limited for the purchase, after-sales service, and maintenance of 307 Mercedes-Benz ambulances for the National Ambulance Service.
It has been revealed that Ofori-Atta approved a staggering US$34,904,505.00 for spare parts for these ambulances, despite the firm being discredited. The company is allegedly linked to the daughter of former President Akufo-Addo.
Out-of-Use Tax
The OSP is also probing payments made from and the utilization of the Ghana Revenue Authority’s tax refund account.
As a result of these cases, the OSP has declared Ofori-Atta a fugitive and has called for him to voluntarily report to authorities. If he fails to do so, the OSP will be forced to locate him.
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