Details of the US$24 million Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) drillship sale, has started filtering in with an intriguing revelation from the former Energy Minister, Albert Ken Dapaah, that his Deputy, Kwabena Tahir Hammond, acted wrongly by not paying back the US$3.5 million balance from the sale, into the offers of the GNPC.

An ex-Chief Executive of the GNPC, Dr. A. Ofori Quaah and Mr. Kan-Dapaah, in two separate letters also suggested that GNPC was kept in the dark throughout the transaction while monies were paid to the various parties at the Ministerial level without the involvement of the technocrats, especially those at the GNPC.

The Corporation was to have an in-dept input into the various payments, but was interestingly sidelined while the then Deputy Energy Minister, K.T. Hammond, made the various colossal payment, including a US$1 million legal fee to a UK law firm, Constant and Constant, where he is reported to have worked as a lawyer.

Indeed, Mr. Kan-Dapaah’s letter dated October 24, 2001 and addressed to the then Board Chairman of the GNPC, Dr. Donkor Fordwor, portrayed the Corporation as a lame duck, only nodding to already decided payments made on its behalf by Mr. K.T. Hammond from the US$24 million drillship purchase price.

Mr. Kan Dapaah also created an impression that Dr. Donkor Fordwor and the other members on the GNPC Board were only to give retroactive approvals to the many payments made on their behalf without their input.

A third document, available to The Herald, disclosed that the sale of the drillship, Discoverer 511, was completed between July 5 to 10, 2001. However, The Herald is informed that this was done at a time GNPC had no Board of Directors to approve the huge transactions. It was until September 2001, when a Board was put in place.

The payments, the letter revealed included, US$19.5 million to Societe Generale, a US$1 million to a United Kingdom-based law firm, Constant and Constant as “legal fee” with the US$3.5 million paid to the Ministry of Finance, instead of GNPC.

The then Energy Minister in the same letter, mentioned a meeting held between the GNPC Board Chairman on Monday October 22, 2001 where a request ostensibly from, the company was made for details of the payment, made on its behalf by K.T. Hammond to he made valuable to them.

Mr. Ken-Dappah’s letter also revealed to the Board Chairman that the UK Law firm, Constant and Constant had been put in-charge of an Escrow Account created from the remainder of the US$24 million purchase price meant to pay for other claims on the drillship.

He insisted that all such claims would have to be approved by the GNPC, and the balance on this account with verifiable liabilities have been settled. The claims, he said, that were already settled had been “properly cross-checked by my Deputy with GNPC to ensure that they were properly due.

What is shocking was that before Mr. Kan-Dapaah's letter, the then Acting Chief Executive, one Dr. A Ofori Quaah, had in September of 2001, written to the same Energy Minister seeking confirmation on whether any payments have been effected to the D-511 related creditors by him or through a third party, confirming indeed, Mr. K.T. Hammond had sideline GNPC.

Dr. A. Ofori Quaah, who is currently based in London, in his letter to Mr. Kan-Dapaah, indicated “We request for a schedule of payment if indeed any payment have been made. We need this information to enable us complete our reconciliation for the ongoing restructuring exercise,” further confirming K.T. Hammond was not consulting the GNPC, while disbursing the monies, contrary to his boss’ letter.