I paid money to bait blackmailers – MMT boss

Beleaguered Managing Director of Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT), Bennet Aboagye, has stated that, he paid an amount of GHc40, 000 to bait some people who tried to blackmail him.

He explained that, he took the decision based on the advice of his lawyer, Dr. Amoako Tuffour, whom he had informed of the ploy by some people to tarnish his image.

Meanwhile, Some workers of MMT have petitioned the Special Prosecutor to probe Mr. Aboagye over what they describe as “filthy” deals being transacted in the company.

According to the petition, signed by one Mr. Lawal, who is said to be the Company’s Head of Security, the Managing Director, is in collusion with some top officials of the Company to secretly purchase 300 new buses and electrical products, and sell off MMT scrap buses.

The petition also accused Mr Aboagye and his assistant, Mr Yiadom Kessie of openly requesting “for bribes or commission before awarding contracts to suppliers or signing cheques to pay suppliers for services they rendered.”

The petitioners say they subsequently “planted a third ear at some strategic locations with the hope of having firsthand information about what the MD, his assistant and some key players in this scandal do, say and planned to do, and the revelations uncovered are mind-boggling.”

“The third ear revealed among others, malpractices involving the intended purchase of 300 buses from China…the purchase of electrical products, the sale of MMT scrap buses among others,” the workers added in the petition.

They also claimed that Mr. Aboagye, however tried to bribe them to the tune of about GHc60,000 to have the recordings and transcripts destroyed.