General News of Thursday, 8 May 2014

Source: peacefmonline

NPP man chases Mahama for Ghc35m SADA cash

Some Ghc35 million cedis said to be part of a Ghc200 million released for Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) to undertake its projects, according to Richard Nyamah, a former National Youth Organiser Aspirant of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), is directly with the president, which he must release.

According to the NPP loyalist, "In 2011, then Vice President Mahama in response to why money has not been given to SADA said that Ghc200 million cedis has been released. Now in retrospect to the money released to SADA, it came out that Ghc165 million was given to SADA," leaving the Ghc35m unaccounted for.

SADA has over the past few months been in the news for alleged acts of misappropriation of funds, breach of public procurement laws and other financial irregularities.

Deputy Minority Leader of Parliament, Dominic Nitiwul, first accused Mr. Andani of placing himself in a conflict of interest situation when as the MD of Stanbic, he allowed 74.5 million cedis of SADA money to put into a call account at the bank.

Beyond that, he claimed Mr. Alhassan Andani did not do himself any favour when he chaired the RLG Foundation and allowed a chunk of SADA's investment to go into the activities of the AGAMs Group of companies of which RLG is the flagship company.

But Richard Nyamah believes President John Mahama equally has to share the blame for the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) rot and not only Alhassan Andani, former Board Chairman of SADA and Managing Director of Stanbic Bank, who has been accused of serious conflict of interest.

"…President Mahama assured he was in charge of the release of the money to SADA; up to now nobody can account for the remaining Ghc35 million cedis…the said amount is missing under the direct leadership and supervision of President Mahama.

"I am telling the President that our money is with him direct and we are coming for it, so he should stand firm,” he warned.

Buttressing the point raised by the Deputy Minority Leader of Parliament, Richard Nyamah posited on Okay Fm’s afternoon political program Ghana Decides that President John Dramani Mahama is behind the rot at SADA despite the role played by Mr. Alhassan Andani.