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In a shocking admission, a former DVLA Chief, Justice Amegashie, told a Parliamentary Committee Tuesday, he erred in signing off on the renewal of the controversial Foto-X deal without proper due diligence.

He made the admission while testifying before the Parliamentary Committee on Transport after a wave of public anger over damaging revelations surrounding the deal forced a parliamentary probe.

The deal with Foto – X was first signed under the Kufuor administration and mandated the company to print drivers’ licences for the DVLA.

When the Mills government took over it renewed the deal at a time Justice Amegashie was DVLA boss.

Shocking documentary evidence seen by Citi News suggests although the Public Procurement Authority approved a little over $3 million as the Foto-X contract ceiling, the contract sum signed by Justice Amegashie ballooned to over $9 million .

Addressing Tuesday’s sitting, Jusstice Amegashie admitted that there was a mysterious jump in contract sum from $3.6million to $9.9million.

“When  I appeared before EOCO, the first question they asked me was, what was the contract sum and I said 3.6 million then they told me they will charge me for causing financial loss…I told them to hold on so I get a lawyer. My lawyer asked me if I was sure the contract was $3.6 million and I said yes, that was the figure that was approved. At the time they had not showed me the document that it was $9.9 million. I came before the sub committee of the board and the same question they asked me was what was the contract sum, and I told them $3.6 million. I have never authorised anything and I have never had any discussion with anybody for the purposes of varying the figures,” he explained.

“To err is human.If I had seen it I would have stopped it,” he insisted.

After the sitting, Chairman for the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Theophilus Tetteh Chai also expressed his disappointment over the development.

“I am totally disappointed with the way some of our public servants handle issues on contracts. Contract documents are supposed to be critically looked at and in appending your signature to the contract you should have a vivid understanding to the contract you are signing.”