Construction Pioneers (C.P), has expressed surprise about a front page report in the December 12 –18, 2002 edition of the “Crusading Guide” which referred to an earlier report headlined “CP DEFRAUDS GOVERNMENT…AND BEING MADE TO REFUND OVER 89 MILLION DEUTSCHMARKS”

The publication among other things stated that CP, in failing to fulfill its tax obligations was being prevailed upon to pay a total of DM 89,376,957.82, representing unsubstantiated and misapplied amounts.

A rejoinder signed by the Managing Director of CP, Mr. R. Ploetner, said although they know that firms of Auditors are auditing certain financial obligations honoured by Government of Ghana (GOG) to CP, they are not aware that the exercise has been completed and a report submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

Mr. Ploetner said a report entitled “Preliminary Findings of the Special Audit of the Construction Pioneers from M/S Baffour Awuah and Associates” which contained certain finding “which were not only factually incorrect but also professionally unacceptable”, was objected by CP.

He said CP’s objection to the contents of the report and the process of investigation led to a follow up by the Auditors and an assurance of a fair hearing.

According to him, the CP has since then given the Auditors its utmost cooperation by providing whatever information they had requested for and had anxiously been waiting for a feedback.

Mr. Ploetner said they read the extracts of the report for the first time in the “Crusading Guide” and added that fair mindedness and good conscience require that the company be informed of any wrong doing before the issue was put into the public domain.