News Desk Report Although members, supporters and sympathizers of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) may see current developments regarding the unnecessarily wasteful huge judgment debts caused the state of Ghana as result of the pursuit of parochial and corrupt interest, for which ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor, his �handsome� Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani and others are being dragged to the dock to answer questions as to why they shouldn�t be charged for causing financial loss to the state, as political vendetta, in-depth investigations carried out by The Informer would prove them wrong.
As against the milieu of media reports that there was no contract between Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome and the Kufuor administration; a dishonest media manipulation, which has been rendered useless by our previous publications supported by documents, further investigation by this paper soaks Mr. Kufuor and co deeper into its culpability.
Despite several warnings given by Mr. Yaw Osafo-Marfo, Kufuor�s one time Minister of Sports as perfectly captured in his memo to Kufuor and his cabinet at the time after a concurrent approval was given by the Central Tender Review Board (CTRB) in accordance with formalities required by statute, Kufuor maintained that the Shanghai Group that he has brought, although had not bid for the construction and rehabilitation of the CAN 2008 stadia, be award the contract, when he was well aware that his decision was in clear contravention of the nation�s Procurement Act, 2003 (633).
In fact, per the Yaw Osafo Marfo cabinet memo, he warned Kufuor of the consequences of abrogating the contract when he was put under compulsion to abrogate the said contract between the Government of Ghana (GoG) and Waterville Holdings (BVI) Limited, when he has already instructed his deputy O.B. Amoah to inform Waterville Holding (BVI) Limited of having no objection to their moving to site to commence evacuation and demolition exercise for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Accra, Kumasi and El-Wak stadia.
Mr. Yaw Marfo, in his memo with the Procurement Act (633) as his guide, stated that in the other hand the recommendations arising out of the tender would be set aside, then they should marshal their forces and make a decision which they can defend nationally and internationally, that even did not stop Kufuor from asking for the termination of the contract because of what he will gain out of it.
We found out in the cabinet memo that aside the Kufuor-Shanghai Group having not bidden for the contract, they also had received funding from government even though the Procurement Act does not allow the practice; but because Kufuor and his team knew what they were about they went ahead to do the unthinkable, which has led to the huge judgment debts being paid by government today.
Section 179 (a) of the criminal offences Act (Act 29) as amended prescribes the grounds for charges of causing financial loss to the state, and it�s on this basis that we strongly hold the view that former President Kufuor, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani and others who caused the nation into paying the Alfred Woyome�s as well as other judgment debts be subjected to the constitutional letters.
In fact, it would be recalled that Messrs Tsatsu Tsikata, Daniel Kwashie Abodakpui and Co were sent to jail unmeritorious for Willfully causing financial loss to the state, and Victor Selormey had to die untimely in the trail.
That is why ex-President Kufuor and his likes should not be spared having arrogantly abrogated a contract that has gone through tender and has met all Procurement requirements.
It will be emphasized that, former President and his team set aside the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 despite warnings from the sector Minister at the time and went ahead with their decision. It is in this light that he must be jailed like they did to Mr. Tsatsu and Co.
They used the same barometer on appointees of the NDC government to throw them into jail and same principles must applied to them, so that the nation�s scarce resources will not continue to be wasted. Stay tuned as we bring you more updates and why Kennedy Agyepong and Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu got it wrong.