Freddie Blay must step aside as GNPC chair for forensic audit - Minority demands

The Minority in Parliament has asked National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay to relinquish his position as the Board chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation for an independent forensic audit into the accounts of the Corporation.

According to the minority MPs, they are alarmed by the “historic levels of profligacy” by Mr. Blay in his campaign that led to his election as the party’s chair in last Saturday’s national executive elections in Koforidua.

“For someone who manages our oil and gas reserves, one would have expected the highest form of modesty and prudence in outlook,” the minority said in a statement issued Sunday by the Ranking Member, Mines and Energy Committee, Adam Mutawakilu.

They were more concerned about the purchase of some 275 mini buses at the cost of 11.4 million dollars for NPP constituencies and again the sharing of “hordes of cash to delegates plus the distribution of tonnes of goodies” to delegates.

Mr. Blay’s action, the minority said “does not only mark a new low in our country’s democratic credentials” but also “demand an immediate forensic audit into our country’s hydrocarbons”.

They said many Ghanaians including members NPP such as Mr. Stephen Ntim and Dr. Amoako Baah are legitimately asking for the source of Mr. Freddie Blay’s sudden wealth.

“We also demand that Mr. Freddie Blay be made to step aside as GNPC Board Chairman in the interim ahead of the forensic audit so as not to interfere with proceedings” it demanded of President Nana Akufo-Addo, who it has accused as being complicit in the issue.

Read the full statement below

MINORITY IN PARLIAMENT DEMANDS IMMEDIATE FORENSIC AUDIT INTO THE ACCOUNTS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE GHANA NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION FOLLOWING THE VULGAR OPULENCE AND OBSCENE VOTE BUYING BY ITS BOARD CHAIRMAN, MR. FREDDIE BLAY AT THE JUST ENDED NPP DELEGATES CONGRESS

The Minority in Parliament is in a state of shock after the blatant and unconscionable show of vulgar opulence and vote buying of the most obscene kind by the newly elected Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Mr. Frederick Worsemao Armah Blay at the just ended National Delegates Congress in Koforidua.

The conduct of Mr. Freddie Blay and the NPP in engaging in historic levels of profligacy has not only angered the vast majority of Ghanaians, it has embarrassingly attracted international condemnation and brought untold shame upon Ghana. Dr. John Hayward of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party could not help but chide the NPP leadership calling on them to rather invest in reaching out to the people and addressing their concerns instead of splashing money on lavish political campaigns.

We take judicial notice that the newly elected NPP Chairman, Mr. Freddie Blay is not a mere private citizen but a high ranking public official having been appointed by President Akufo-Addo as the Board Chairman of the prestigious Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) since last year.

For someone who manages our oil and gas reserves, one would have expected the highest form of modesty and prudence in outlook, however, the unconscionable extravagant purchase of 275 buses for NPP constituency executives after depositing his so-called personal funds of US$3 million in an US$ 11.4 million transaction which has sparked national outrage at a time Ambulances are in short supply and proceeding further at the congress grounds to share hordes of cash to delegates plus the distribution of tonnes of goodies in the form of branded snacks and other consumables does not only mark a new low in our country’s democratic credentials but demands of us to rise as responsible citizens who care about the future of our dear nation. It is for this reason we demand an immediate forensic audit into our country’s hydrocarbons.

Many in Ghana including members of Freddie Blay’s own political party such as Mr. Stephen Ntim and Dr. Amoako Baah are legitimately asking for the source of Mr. Freddie Blay’s sudden wealth.

Ghanaians have not forgotten how only a couple of years back, Mr. Freddie Blay’s generosity could not be located when the party in which he was Vice Chairman failed to service a much lower Prudential Bank loan of GHS 2 million which was the subject of heated internal party wrangling which spilled over into the public domain.

The Minority recalls how in March this year, we had cause to criticize a rather problematic GNPC work programme for 2018 when it was laid for the approval of Parliament. We objected to the use or shall we say misuse of US$13.4 million to renovate the GNPC office in Accra, construct a new office also in Accra for US$20 million, build another office in Takoradi for US$10 million, erect a transit quarters for the comfort of GNPC staff in Takoradi for US$ 1.9 million and an amorphous allocation of US$ 100 million for so-called agric roads.

The gross misconduct of Mr. Freddie Blay fueled by his insatiable desire for political power no matter the cost, renders him unsuitable as the man to remain in charge of our oil and gas resources. Ghana is not safe!

The Minority in Parliament, therefore, demands that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, though complicit as it is well known that Mr. Blay was his most ordained and favoured candidate, commissions an immediate forensic audit to be carried out by an independent internationally acclaimed audit firm.

We also demand that Mr. Freddie Blay be made to step aside as GNPC Board Chairman in the interim ahead of the forensic audit so as not to interfere with proceedings.

The Minority hereby serves notice that if President Akufo-Addo fails to commission the requested forensic audit within the next two weeks, we shall vigorously explore other avenues within and without Parliament to seek redress and safeguard our country’s precious oil and gas resources.

Signed,

Adam Mutawakilu (MP)

Ranking Member, Mines and Energy Committee

[8th July, 2018]