Sports News of Thursday, 10 August 2017

Source: sportsobama.com

National Sports Authority blows $2million on “Ghost” Sports Complex

The University of Ghana Stadium The University of Ghana Stadium

The National Sports Authority is to provide answers regarding why various outdoor multi-purpose sports court have not been constructed despite the release of $2 million for the project in 2017.

Anglogold Ashanti in 2017 provide $2 million or its cedis equivalent GH¢3,090,380 for the provision of sports court in some selected areas in the country, but those facilities cannot be slighted, while the other that was supposed to have been completed, is apparently an abandoned project at Enchi, Dadieso, in the Western Region.

According to Graphic Sports investigations indicate that as far back 2014 an Auditor General’s report charged the NSA for misappropriation of the funds on administrative purposes instead of the provision of the facilities.

This according to the Auditor’s General Report, was in contradiction of Section 179(1) of tyhe financial administration Regulation (FAR), thus affecting the successful execution of the project.

The report further said four contractors commissioned to execute the project at Enchi, Wa, Obuase, and Accra were paid GH¢78,241,11 far in excess of the certified contract sums for the project and asked the Authority to retrieve the excess payment ‘immediately.’

While contractors were duly paid to execute the project, they were still abandoned the report further revealed.

“Our physical inspection of the Enchi(Dadieso) project being executed by M/S GT Freeman Construction Ltd also revealed that the consultant erroneously certified that 100 per cent work up to the top floor was completed by the contractor and valued it at GH¢76,371.oo. Our inspection, however proved otherwise.

“Beside inquiries revealed that the contractor had abandoned the project site over 18 months at the time of reporting, yet he had been paid for the job” the report enphasised.

Though it has been almost four years since the report came out and recommendations made for the retrieval of the overpaid sums.

According to Graphic Sports investigations, revealed that the recommendations were not carried out and the project were also ‘dead’, despite the then NSA management under Madam Alice Attipo indicating that efforts were being made to get the contractors to refund the monies.

When the NSA was contacted to find out if the recommendation had been carried, officials declined to respond, pleading for time to verify before making comments.