Chief Executive of GIPC denies wrong doing

Accra, Dec. 9, GNA - Mr George Aboagye, Chief Executive Officer of t= he Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) on Tuesday denied media reports that he had compromised his position by accepting an incentive package fr= om Tema International Hotel.

"I wish to emphatically state that I have not received any monies fr= om anyone in connection with the Tema International Hotel or any other hotel=

for that matter in relation to the granting of incentives under the Touri= sm Law LI 1817," he stressed.

In a reaction to the media about the report he said: "In both stories, Mr Andrew Okai Koi, the husband of "Mrs Zita Okai Koi was alleged to have demanded various sums of money totalling GH¢ 10,000= ..00 to influence GIPC officials to clear items imported by the Tema International Hotel." He said Mr Okai Koi was not known to the GIPC as a representative of=

Tema International Hotel - he does not own any shares, neither is he a director of the company. Also, Mr Isaac Kumodze is not known to the GIPC as a representative of the company. "The Chief Executive Officer of the GIPC has not met Mr Okai Koi on any business/official transaction. He has also neither known nor met Mr Isaac=

Kumodzie," he said.

Mr Aboagye said the hotel registered with the GIPC to engage in its operations, which included a casino and applied for approval and award of=

the applicable incentives and benefits under the Tourism Law- LI 1817. "The application was not in good order and Tema International Hotel was advised to properly prepare and re-present it once more which it did on 11/12/09. "The application was then forwarded to the inter agency committee f= or consideration where it was passed and approved on 24/12/09." He said the Minister of Tourism wrote to the GIPC requesting for exemptions on some items that were not included in the company's approved=

list of items.

"Since the said items were not included in the initial application of the company, the minister was advised in a GIPC letter dated 13/10/10 to further advise the company to submit an application through the Ministry of Tourism to submit an application for the approval of a supplementary list= of items needed by the hotel for its operations. "As far as the GIPC is concerned, action has since been taken by the=

applicants on this matter. "In order to ascertain the authenticity of the allegations, we have invited officials of Tema International Hotel, Mr Isaac Kumodze and Mr Andrew Okai Koi to a meeting at the Centre to further assist in our investigations into the matter," he said. 9 Dec. 10