Government's 'criminal negligence' gave PDS a chance to evade due process – NDC

Negligence and delays on the part of government was used as an advantage by the Power Distribution Service (PDS) to apply for certain conditions of the concession agreement to be changed, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has asserted.

The outspoken politician further reiterated that the effect of the criminal negligence on the part of the Akufo-Addo government is what gave PDS an excuse not to fulfil the prerequisite of a 'payment security' and provided justification to request for same to be modified into an 'insurance guarantee'.

“Per our reading of the FTI report, delays on the part of government gave PDS a convenient excuse to apply for the all-important Precondition of “payment security” to be side-stepped and restructured.” General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia said while addressing the media at a press conference yesterday.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia was speaking on the findings on investigations on the concession agreement between PDS and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) which was suspended on Tuesday, July 30 by government due to “fundamental and material breaches”.

PDS was faulted for not having enough financial guarantees for the deal after a committee was set to probe into the issue.

Asiedu Nketia expressed his disappointment stating that government failed to protect the nation’s interest by conspiring to bend the rules for PDS.

“We all feel scandalized that contrary to the effort of parliament to protect the public purse in order safe-guard our interest in this matter, the Nana Akufo-Addo-led-government shamefully and inexplicably conspired to bend the rules for PDS – thus leading us into the present dire situation.”

He further noted that he was appalled by the extent to which key officials within the Akufo-Addo government shirked their fiduciary responsibilities to the Ghanaian people in complete disservice to the national interest.

The NDC accused government of conniving among themselves to ensure that issues surrounding Power Distribution Services (PDS) Ghana Limited fade away at all cost.



“The game plan is to let the matter die a natural death as other scandals and still enable government create conditions for cronies of the president to profit from this clearly corrupt arrangement”.