CP Denies Raping Ghana

A ROAD construction company, Construction Pioneers, better known as CP, has denied a Daily Guide publication that it has through connivance with politicians and some civil servants raped the country of DM200 million.

This, according to the paper was done through tender manipulations and self-preparation of completion of certificates in favour of CP.

The denial is contained in a letter to the paper in reaction to its front page lead news item of Monday, September 17, 2002, headlined “How NDC, CP Raped Ghana”.

The letter signed by Mr. M. Hachenberg, General Manager of the company and presented to the Daily Guide on Wednesday September 18, 2002, said the company had never prepared a completion certificate on its own as alleged in the news story.

It explained that “tender procedures, preparation of interim and final completion of certificates are guided by explicit provisions in the contract and does not lie within the ambit of any particular contractor to fraudulently manipulate this process to his advantage as alleged in the publication.

The company claimed that it has completion certificates for all projects it has executed to the full and proper satisfaction of respective Supervisory Engineers.

“To the best of our knowledge, the Government of Ghana has never questioned the credibility of any of these certificates” the letter stressed.

The company observed that under the headline “How NDC, CP Raped Ghana”, the Daily Guide set out to destroy what the company has taken several years to build to wit. “Our reputation as a leading construction firm cannot be destroyed.

“You did not only falsely and maliciously write what you knew to be false, but did not even deem it prudent to contact CP, the main subject matter of your alleged investigation. The letter said the company is more appalled by the allegation that the company doubles as their own Consulting Engineers and engaged in over estimation and manipulated the calculation of interest.

It describes this particular allegation as “an affront to the credibility of all engineers who have supervised our projects at one time or the other”.

The letter noted that this particular allegation exhibited Daily Guide’s limited knowledge in contract Administration in the country.

The company added that it would not worry itself to comment on another wild allegation that “We received payment for the Yamoransa – Assin Praso and Akim-Oda – Nkwakaw Road projects” because the company had reacted to that allegation earlier in the Evening News.