In a recent piece, journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni disclosed that his research showed Ghana lost over GHS200 million in a number of sanitation contracts given to businesses affiliated with the Jospong Group.
Based on his thorough research, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development asked for more than GHS98 million to be released on June 9, 2015, in order to carry out a Sanitation Improvement Program that would prevent a cholera outbreak.
An analysis of the contracts, however, reveals numerous anomalies and repetitions of previous initiatives. Contracts Given Out Without a Competitive Bid
The 11 businesses that Manasseh personally selected for the deal were all subsidiaries of Joseph Siaw Agyepong’s Jospong Group, according to his inquiry.
One of them, Meridian Waste Management Services, was not even registered at the time of the award, according to records. It wasn’t until September 30, 2015, three months after the contract date, that official registration took place.
In 2009 and 2010, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, another Jospong subsidiary, was given two distinct ongoing contracts that covered the fumigation and disinfection activities for which the monies were approved.
The National Health Insurance Levy and the District Assemblies Common Fund provided funding for these previous contracts.
In spite of this, Zoomlion was given a third fumigation contract that covered the same districts and assemblies.
According to investigations, officials in charge of sanitation and assembly nationwide were unaware that the new contract was being carried out.
Upon inquiry, Zoomlion and the Ministry were unable to produce proof of oversight or approval of the activity. Zoomlion’s attorneys said that supervision was not necessary under the terms of the contract.
As evidence of their work, the company produced black-and-white pictures of fumigation exercises; however, police investigators discovered that the same pictures had been provided for other areas.
According to officials interviewed at several assemblies, they were not aware of or saw any enhanced sanitary efforts.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was involved in the matter when then-Attorney General Gloria Akuffo became interested in it and nicknamed it “Robbing the Assemblies” in a 2017 documentary.
The money was not recovered, and no charges were brought despite copious amounts of evidence, including financial and photographic analysis, that were gathered in a thorough police docket.
The dossier is one of the most extensive evidence packages in a sanitation-related scandal, according to Manasseh, who presented the findings to senior prosecutors and the Attorney General’s Department.
Subsequent research uncovered a consistent pattern of contracts given to the Jospong Group for a variety of government initiatives:
Contracts for fumigation were funded by the District Assemblies Common Fund and the National Health Insurance Levy. Contracts for market and street sweeping are given out by the Youth Employment Agency.
separate agreements known as the Sanitation Improvement Package (SIP) for the disposal of waste following sweeping. Waste Landfills Management Limited, another Jospong affiliate, was given landfill management contracts.
contracts that further marginalize assembly authority by managing Sanitation Guards (Nsaman Nsaman).
The resources available for assemblies to carry out independent sanitation operations were typically limited since deductions were made at the source from district appropriations.
With multiple administrations reportedly working with the Jospong Group in spite of financial losses and public health dangers, the probe highlights a larger culture of impunity.
In defense of his findings, Manasseh Azure Awuni said that revealing such transactions is essential to protecting public finances and guaranteeing accountability. “Protecting local companies should not mean supporting fraud,” he stated.
Zoomlion Ghana Limited and the Jospong Group have refuted the claims.
Source: newsthemegh.com