Accra (Greater Accra), 6th May ?99 ?

Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of Youth and Sports, on Wednesday denied allegations that the presidential box of the Accra Sports Stadium leaks.

"What happens is that whenever it rains, the windstorm blows water towards the presidential box, causing the whole place to get wet. This is not the result of any leakage".

Mr Mensah was giving an overview of the award of contract for the rehabilitation of the Accra and Kumasi sports Stadiums before the Tagoe Committee probing alleged impropriety in the award of the contracts in Accra.

He cited an instance during the 10th week ABC premier league match between Great Olympics and Power F/C at the Stadium on Wednesday, April 28.

The minister said he and the Vice-President, Professor John Atta Mills, had to abandon their seats temporary as a result of a rainstorm, which preceded the match.

He noted that the rehabilitation of the two stadiums did not start with the bid to host the Africa under-20 soccer tournament. The rehabilitation had been in the pipeline of the ministry as far back as 1995 but this could not be implemented earlier due to financial constraints.

He said it was not until 1997 that the government approved two billion cedis, which led to the contract being awarded to Arab Contractors through the tender board.

The Minister said the intention of the ministry was to develop the stadiums along modern lines with shopping arcade among others but the evaluation by the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL) of 47.6 billion cedis could not be met.

He said prior to the release of the two billion cedis by government, a series of meetings were held on the possibility of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) financing the project. SSNIT later backed out because of its tight budget.

Asked whether he knew that Nana Sam Brew Butler, co-chairman of the Local Organising Committee was a director of Arab contractors before awarding the contract to his company, Mr Mensah said ?no? but added that he got to know only after the contract had been awarded.

"Even if l knew that Nana Butler was a director, l would still have appointed him because of his vast experience and also because l know there was no way that Butler could influence the tender process."

He said the government made a saving of one million dollars on the score board erected at the Accra sports stadium because the LOC it approached the manufacturers, Omega directly but the same could not be bought for the Kumasi stadium because of inadequate funds.

Mr Mensah said Nana Butler provided a seed money of two million cedis to open the LOC accounts with the Agricultural Development Bank which later gave the LOC an Assistance of 70 million cedis and denied renting his house at Abelenkpe to the engineers of Arab Contractors. "There is nobody living in that house," he said.