As the debate over last Monday’s judgement pronounced on former government officials for their role in causing financial loss of over $20 million to the state, the Minister for Private Sector Development, Kwamena Bartels (MP) has warned NDC leader, Prof. Evans Atta Mills “to learn how not to come on radio and say things he does not know.”
“I think that there are so many things Prof. Mills doesn’t know, so when he comes on radio, he disgraces himself. I think before he speaks in public, he should do his own investigations very well,” charged Mr. Bartels.
According to the report carried by the “Daily Guide,” a private newspaper, Bartels continued; “this is because Prof. Mills doesn’t know a lot. I wish to advise that if he wishes to become president of the Republic of Ghana, then he should investigate certain things before he speaks on them – he shouldn’t come on radio and say what he doesn’t know since some of us have had to go through terrible ordeals in this country.”
The Minister said this after Prof. Mills had criticised the law, “Causing financial loss to the state” which has sent his former colleagues to several jail terms, saying it is a bad law. The NDC flagbearer also said he supports the minority NDC’s view that the $22 million Quality Grain Trial, was politically motivated.
In reply, Bartels who is also MP for Ablekuma North, was reported to have stated in a radio interview that the current law which has been encapsulated in the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act 458 since 1993, is the antecedent of a Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) establishment proclamation degree called “Doing Acts with Intent to Sabotage the Economy of Ghana,” which was invoked to try him and an indigenous Ghanaian investor, Dr. Kwame Safo Adu in 1993.
Hear him; “The antecedent of the present charge against Peprah and Co. (Causing financial loss to the state) is the PNDC establishment proclamation Degree – it was later converted to the Criminal Code Amendment Act 458 – but virtually, it was the same thing.”
Narrating how the two were charged under the law in 1993, Hon. Bartels said he and Dr. Safo Adu set-up a company in Kumasi known as the Industrial Chemicals Limited (ICL) to manufacture pharmaceutical drugs.
After one month and three days into the operation of the ICL, the chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, personally led 360 soldiers to close down the factory.
He said Dr. Safo Adu was asked to show how he got money to establish the factory and he was subsequently charged with, “Doing Acts with Intent to sabotage the economy of Ghana.”
According to Mr. Bartels, “for one year, one week, one day, he and Dr. Safo Adu, faced 13 counts of doing acts with the intent to sabotage the economy of the country; each count was punishable by death – by firing squad.”
The Minister therefore expressed surprise that Prof. Mills is saying that no one has ever been charged with any offence under the existing law. He stressed that the law, “Causing financial loss to the state” is no different from the antecedent law, ie “Doing acts with intent to sabotage the economy of Ghana.”
He submitted: “I was defence council for Safo Adu; in the morning when I went to court to defend the ICL chief executive, in the evening, I found myself in cells because the ruling establishment, found out that I was a director of the company.”
According to Hon. Bartels, after a trial, which lasted one year and some months, they (he and Safo Adu) were acquitted and discharged. “The judge (chairman of the Public Tribunal), Mr. Boakye Danquah, was chased out of the country, for acquitting and discharging us currently, he still lives in exile,” he revealed.
Referring to the case, which sent former finance minister, Kwame Peprah and his former colleagues to jail, Bartels noted that apart from Mr. Kobby Koomson, a former Ghana Ambassador to the United States of America (USA), who wrote to warn the NDC authorities about the non-viability of the Quality Grain Project, the very man that Miss Renee Woodard, also known as Juliet Cotton, brought down from America, James Gwelle, had said that the project was not viable – this was as far back as 1998, he stressed.
“James was a rice expert and Mrs. Cotton brought her as proof that she meant business, but after seeing things for himself her own rice expert, concluded that the project, was not going to be able. He therefore resigned his post and left the country. This is documented, Mills and his people know about this,” Bartels contended.
Mr. Bartels also made reference to the fact that he and Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the Minister for Tourism had called a press conference in those days, at which they warned the NDC government against pursuing the Quality Grain company deal since it was causing huge financial losses to the state.
Aside from that, Prof. Mills, the then vice-president of the Republic of Ghana, also asked Kwame Peprah, the then Finance Minister, in a letter to meet him over the Quality Grain issues so as to cut Ghana’s loss, disclosed Mr. Bartels.
“Interestingly, it was after Prof. Mills had written through Willie Ansah, his Special Assistant, to warn Mr. Peprah, that they sent an additional $2 million to the woman’s account. Their own Attorney General, Dr. Obed Asamoah, also warned them about the granting of further loans to the Quality Grain project but this was not heeded,” he pointed out
