A former Spokesperson for the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council and past government appointee of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Francis Dodovi has petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate alleged corrupt deals involving some members and officials of the KMA.

In a petition delivered to the Ashanti Regional Office of CHRAJ on Tuesday May 2, 2017, he indicates that there were incidents of conflict of interest involving some members as well as allegations of bribery on the part of some public officers of the assembly.

His petition is in furtherance to an earlier one which was submitted by some assembly members calling for thorough investigations into contracts awarded to some companies under dubious circumstances with the collusion of some assembly members and officials.

“In the said petition, the petitioners alleged that the Hon. Presiding Member of the Assembly, Hon. Abraham Boadi, assisted by the convener of the Environmental Sub-Committee of the Assembly, Hon. Nana Yaw Wiredu, led a delegation of some selected Assembly Members to Accra to meet and negotiate with an investor called Alphar Power Co. Ltd. on behalf of the Assembly.

The petitioners further alleged that this company in question, in its quest to secure a contract with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, sponsored the air travelling expenses, paid an amount of GH?30,000.00 and promised an additional payment of GH?200,000.00 to the Presiding Member and his colleagues should they be able to facilitate the company’s bid to secure a contract with KMA”

Read Full Text of His Petition Below:

PETITION TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF BRIBERY AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST AGAINST SOME ASSEMBLY MEMBERS OF THE KUMASI METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY.

Pursuant to a petition written by three members of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) dated 24th, April, 2017, addressed to the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Kumasi, and copied to the Metro Coordinating Director of same, imploring them to conduct an investigation into a matter of bribery and conflict of interest against the Presiding Member and some Assembly Members of the KMA, I wish to petition your noble office to also further cause an investigation into this important matter that bothers on serious allegations of bribery against these public officers who are members of the Assembly.

In the said petition, the petitioners alleged that the Hon. Presiding Member of the Assembly, Hon. Abraham Boadi, assisted by the convener of the Environmental Sub-Committee of the Assembly, Hon. Nana Yaw Wiredu, led a delegation of some selected Assembly Members to Accra to meet and negotiate with an investor called Alphar Power Co. Ltd. on behalf of the Assembly.

The petitioners further alleged that this company in question, in its quest to secure a contract with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, sponsored the air travelling expenses, paid an amount of GH?30,000.00 and promised an additional payment of GH?200,000.00 to the Presiding Member and his colleagues should they be able to facilitate the company’s bid to secure a contract with KMA.

I am convinced that there is enough ground to investigate these serious allegations of bribery on the part of these public officers. This is against the backdrop that some of these officers have openly confirmed in the media, the veracity of their reported trip and even sort to justify the propriety of their action.

Two of these Assembly Members who were on the said trip to Accra, namely Hon. Nana Yaw Wiredu, Assemblyman for Ahinsan Estate and Hon. James Nana Prempeh, Assemblyman for Adiembra-Fankyenebra were seen on Kessben TV on 28th April, 2017, openly defending their meeting with Alphar Power Co. Ltd., with the former who doubles as the Convener of the Environmental Sub-Committee of the KMA (Hon. Nana Yaw Wiredu) even posing as an agent of Alphar Power Co. Ltd. This I reckon is a palpable conflict of interest, given the fact that the Solar Energy contract which this company is bidding for falls under the ambit of the Environmental Sub-Committee of the Assembly, whose chairman is visibly acting as an agent for Alphar Power Co. Ltd.

I have attached a copy of the original petition by the three other members of the KMA to the Metro Chief Executive. I have the absolute conviction that the issues being alleged in the original petition would be thoroughly investigated by your august body in order to establish this obvious act of bribery and conflict of interest perpetrated by these Members of the KMA who are occupants of a public office, and acted in gross contravention of the standing orders of the Assembly and the laws of the Republic of Ghana.

I hope your high office will act with dispatch in this matter so as to satisfy the interest of the general public which is waiting with bated breath to know the outcome of this investigation.

Sincerely,

Francis Dodovi

(Former Assembly Member, KMA and a citizen of Ghana)