Ashaiman MP to drag GEPA to Special Prosecutor over procurement breaches

Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Norgbe says he will be dragging the management of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) to the Special Prosecutor over procurement breaches.

According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker, the Auditor General’s report currently before Parliament indicted GEPA for failing to adhere to Ghana’s procurement laws.

The report also charged GEPA of making illegal payments, he told Starr News’ Ibrahim Alhassan on Friday.

He said the move to petition the Special Prosecutor who recently admitted and took responsibility for the defects in the drafting of the charge sheet in the case against the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga and another would ensure those culpable are prosecuted.

In an address to journalists on his move, Norgbe said: “The Auditor General’s report submitted to us yesterday [Thursday, June 20], there were a lot of procurement breaches especially, the aspect of Ghana Export Promotion Authority.”

He said per the public procurement Act before one engages in a single source procurement he or she must seek the approval of the board. “Unfortunately, the Export Promotion did not seek approval of the board by awarding a contract to the tune of almost two hundred and thirty thousand Ghana cedi and then one hundred and twenty-three thousand dollars.”

Norgbe further argued that Executive Secretary of the GEPA violated the threshold aspect of the public procurement Act by awarding a contract beyond the earmarked threshold without recourse to the entity tender committee and awarded a contract to the tune of almost five hundred and fifty thousand cedis.

“These are all procurement breaches in the Act and what I intend doing is to petition the Special Prosecutor so that they can investigate. There are a lot of issues in that report especially paying honorarium with the signature of personnel or people who are supposed to have received these documents. So, I’m going to try and investigate the issues, get all the facts and petition the special prosecutor,” he stated.