The bugging of an official car allocated to former CEO of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Ras Mubarak, has cost the state agency “over GHS15,000”, his successor Emmanuel Asigri has said.

According to Mr Asigri, the security device – which Mr Mubarak has admitted installing while he used the car – affected the ignition system of the SUV necessitating a total change of the entire starting system of the vehicle before it could work again following the detection of a fault on it.

Mr Asigri told Kojo Yankson on Accra-based Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, 17 July that the matter is currently being investigated by National Security.

“When they checked through the ignition system, they realised there was a foreign device attached to it, so they took a picture of it, sent it to the Transport Officer enquiring who had installed the device in the vehicle, so it became a surprise to the Transport Officer who also reported to the Director of Procurement and Projects … It really created a major problem … and it has resulted in we having incurred a cost of over GHS15,000 …”

Meanwhile, the Kumbungu MP has described as “empty noise” and diversionary, the talk surrounding the bugging of his office and official car.

He explained that he ordered the bug in his office to be removed as well as the one in his car to be deactivated before leaving office, and, thus, does not see the whole “fuss” being created by his critics.

“In all humility, if I wanted ‘dirt’ on a member of the new government, he's the least person of interest to me. The fuss about me bugging or tracking his movements is just empty noise to take away attention from the embarrassing flop of the homecoming summit his government organised; they want to divert attention from the insults the Deputy Minister rained on Ghanaians in the diaspora and the utter disrespect and arrogance already demonstrated by a section of the Akufo-Addo government; the corruption that's engulfed the government, the U-Turn upon U-Turn and broken and failed promises of his government,” Mr Mubarak said in a statement which is produced in full below.

Ras Mubarak writes;

Let's separate facts from fiction:

1. I installed security devices in my office and my official car in 2013 when I took over. The device in my office was secretly planted while the tracker on the vehicle was done in the full glare of staff of NYA including official drivers.

2. I was not the only person who had access to my office. Cleaners at NYA came to clean offices in the evening after close of work.

3. My office keys were left with the security every evening after close of work. Wouldn't I be naive not to have had recording devices in my office? How could I tell what went on when I wasn't in the office and cleaners I don't know from anywhere had unfettered access to my office?

4. I personally uninstalled the devices in my office when I was leaving, and directed my official driver to take the car to the workshop (I'm not a mechanic) and have them uninstall the tracking device in the official vehicle.

5. It's ridiculous for anyone to suggest that I had installed a device to bug or track an NPP appointee, albeit a very obscure member of government.

6. I handed over to JK Manu, a public servant who at the time of my departure was the senior-most staff at the NYA and not to the current acting CEO.

7. Has the current Acting Head of NYA found out from his predecessor if he knew there was a device? Has he found out from the drivers if they knew of the device in the car and how long it had been there?

8. In all humility if I wanted "dirt" on a member of the new government, he's the least person of interest to me. The fuss about me bugging or tracking his movements is just empty noise to take away attention from the embarrassing flop of the homecoming summit his government organised; they want to divert attention from the insults the Deputy Minister rained on Ghanaians in the diaspora and the utter disrespect and arrogance already demonstrated by a section of the Akufo-Addo government; the corruption that's engulfed the government, the U-Turn upon U-Turn and broken and failed promises of his government.