GII welcomes petition to EOCO to investigate corruption in awarding road contracts

Mary Adah, the Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), has expressed her support for the decision of Road and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, to petition the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for an investigation into allegations of organised crime in the award of road contracts by Professor Stephen Addai.

She emphasised that there is often some truth in allegations, making the call for investigation a step in the right direction.

This move follows allegations made by former GIMPA Rector, Professor Stephen Addai, concerning irregularities in the award of road contracts.

Prof Addai alleged in an interview with Accra-based TV3, that one has to pay one million upfront to be awarded a road contract in the country.

The Roads Ministry in a statement responding to the claims said the allegations are surprising because the processes leading to the award of road contracts are open, transparent, competitive and by the law.

The sector Minister has, therefore, requested EOCO to fully investigate the allegation.

Speaking to Class News on the move by the Roads Minister, Madam Adah said the move was in the right direction.

She said: “To begin with, when allegations are made, the person who made the allegation would have found semblance of evidence or might have heard something from somewhere or could have experienced or encountered same.

“So for the venerable professor to have indicated that to get a road contact in this country you would have had to pay a certain bribe of a certain amount would mean he has either been told; he has either experienced or been confronted with such in his past experience or current experience. So that is the right thing to do as a citizen.”

The anti-graft boss indicated that “fortunately for us, the professor is within our space and he has made this allegation, so it is also within the remit of the law for those who this allegation was made against to also respond and I am not surprised that they are responding.

“And it is good that the roads minister wants this issue investigated and it is within the remit of EOCO, the Special Prosecutor as well could look into it, so it’s not for one agency to do so.”

Madam Adah further stated that the GII believes that those who call for accountability must come with clean hands so if the roads ministry believes this allegation must be investigated, it is the right call.

She emphasised that the Office of Special Prosecutor doesn’t even need anybody to put up a complaint before they investigate “so there are many institutions of state that can take this up and then based on whatever evidence the professor has, they can build their investigation on and bring findings which will either substantiate or negate the allegations that have been made.”

She applauded and added that the move by the Roads Minister “is good for the fight against corruption that when allegations are made, people occupying public spaces who have power will want the right things to be done and so will want to initiate investigation”.

She stressed “what the Roads minister has done is in good direction and more of this should happen.”

She finally called on the agencies of state who have received this complaint to act on it expeditiously.