General News of Friday, 16 February 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Bawumia's brother linked to sole-sourced road contracts worth over GH¢83m - Ablakwa blows alarm

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (R) and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of being disingenuous to Ghanaians with his promise to end unmerited single-sourcing of government contracts.

According to the MP, Dr Bawumia, the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), recently promised, when he was outlining his vision to Ghanaians, that he would publish details of every contract his government enters into, but the latest audit report shows that 87% of cocoa road contracts in the current government were single-sourced.

"By transmittal letter AG.01/109/Vol.2/189 dated 12th June 2023 which conveyed the findings of a performance audit on the construction of cocoa roads, the Auditor-General, Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu shockingly reveals how a frightening 87% of cocoa road contracts since 2020 were awarded through a non-competitive process, and how there was no value for money with some of the contracts awarded at three-times the actual cost," the MP wrote in a post shared on X.

In the post, which was shared on X on Friday, February 16, 2024, Ablakwa said that his investigation shows that out of the 87% sole-sourced cocoa road contracts, two contracts worth over GH¢83 million were awarded to a company owned by the brothers of Bawumia, within a day.

“Diligent parliamentary oversight has led to further exceedingly interesting findings: A company known as Resources Access Limited which has familial ties with Vice President Bawumia benefited greatly from the 87% non-competitive overpriced cocoa road contracts exposed by the Auditor-General.

“PPA documents reveal that in one day — specifically on July 2, 2020, Resources Access Limited owned by Abraham Bawumia (the Veep’s brother) and Aneta Kaminska Bawumia were handed two lucrative single-sourced cocoa road contracts valued at a fantastic GH¢83.7million,” Ablakwa wrote.

He added, “The details of the two contracts are as follows: 1. Contract for upgrading of Effutu - Abrem Agona and Effutu - Sorodofo Feeder Road (21.39km - Central Region) awarded at GH¢54,262,878.84. 2. Contract for upgrading of Kyiboso Hasowodze Bungalow, Feeder Road (14.50km - Central Region) awarded at GH¢29,468,546.54.”

The MP said that after criticising former President John Dramani Mahama and his family, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has been caught benefiting from single-sourcing himself.

“Who could ever have predicted that after Vice President Bawumia launched his scathing and vicious attacks on President John Mahama, the Bawumia family would one day be caught neck-deep directly benefiting from multiple over-priced, single-sourced, 'create, loot and share schemes'?” he quizzed.

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