GHS3.6m bus branding refund: GII wants answers

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has called for more answers from the government over the bus branding scandal involving Smarttys Management and Production Limited, despite the government refunding the full GHS3.6 million to the Petroleum Fund.

The company earlier this year refunded some GHS1.5million in compliance with a directive from the Chief of Staff upon the recommendation of the Attorney General who had conducted investigations into the matter following public outcry about the contract sum used for the rebranding of the 116 Metro Mass Transit buses.

On Tuesday, July 19, the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) disclosed that the proceeds from the petroleum revenue, which were used for the bus branding, had been refunded in full.

But speaking on the Executive Breakfast Show on Class91.3FM, the Executive Director of GII, Linda Ofori Kwafo, said the repayment was inadequate, adding that government needed to provide more information to the public.

“…You say the money has been refunded, but ‘Has Smarttys paid back the money to the state?’ is the question we should be asking,” she said. “Secondly, if the money was refunded by the state, from where to where?”

“Government has put the money back, the component of the oil money. … Where did the government get the money back, because the money has been spent? Smarttys have taken their portion. If government is paying the money back, then it is sort of an admission that there was misapplication of funds.

If there was a misapplication of funds, which public official is being held responsible for this act? Who is going to get punished for this? The Smarttys deal, it was the minister who resigned. Who else in the ministry did something wrong? Who did the overpayment? Who issued the cheque? Who signed the cheque? Who are the people responsible that we never hear from them?

“The Auditor General’s report year in and year out is full of misapplication of resources. It happens every year because nobody is being sanctioned, except those who have stolen goats… but those who engage in big-time corruption in this country, you never see them being sanctioned.”