Politics of Thursday, 24 October 2019

Source: peacefmonline.com

PDS scandal: 'We need to clear Amewu and Ofori-Atta out of the way' - Sammy Gyamfi

Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer of NDC play videoSammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer of NDC

National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress [NDC], Sammy Gyamfi is not cool with government’s attempt to defend issues pertaining to the infamous Power Distribution Services [PDS] scandal.

He has reitirated that both the Energy and Finance Ministers should be booted out for a clean and new process to begin.

“So long as Peter Amewu is Energy Minister and Ken Ofori-Atta is Finance Minister, it is the same thing, whatever new we do without clearing these people out of the way, the results will be the same because garbage in garbage out,” he said.

According to him, all that the NDC said about the PDS deal earlier if well looked into could have saved the country.

Speaking on NEAT FM’s morning show ‘Ghana Montie’, Sammy Gyamfi noted that government intentionally didn’t do due diligence into the PDS deal because of an intent to ‘create, loot and share’.

Background

PDS was in July this year, found to have presented invalid insurance security for the takeover of ECG assets. Following months of investigations, the government in a letter signed by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, announced plans to terminate the deal, adding that a restrictive tender process will be used in selecting a new concessionaire by December 31, 2019.

The letter dated 18 October 2019 indicated that “following consultations with Government, we wish to emphasize that Government remains strongly committed to the Compact and to private sector participation in the Electricity Company of Ghana.

“We also wish to reiterate the position communicated to the CEO of the MCC by the President of Ghana during their meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23rd to the effect that, the current concession had to be terminated in view of the facts uncovered regarding the failure by PDS to satisfy conditions precedent under the relevant transaction documents AND, however, that every effort would be employed to ensure a suitable replacement within the relevant timelines in order to complete the Compact.