Influence peddlers aid private firm to frustrates DVLA

Influence peddlers aid private firm to frustrates DVLA in its official mandate

Despite desperate attempts by the Driver and Vehicle License Authority (DVLA) to provide driver license ID card for the public, Foto-X a private company which is seeking to have a contract extension with the DVLA is frustrating the issuance of these license ID Cards.

The private company is doing this through the use of people who claim to have access to the executive branch of government and thus preventing the DVLA from meeting its obligation to qualified drivers.

Credible information available to this media house indicates that Foto-X allegedly has access to some very powerful people in government and the mention of these names invokes fear and panic at DVLA.

Although it has no valid contract with VLA, Foto-X has relied upon this perceived terror to successfully prevent the issuance of these Driver ID cards.

According to sources within the DVLA the private company has been relying on a 2012 agreement that is suspected to have been acquired under fraudulent circumstances and currently being investigated by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to push its agenda.

The said agreement, which the current DVLA administration has raised serious concerns about, including how a contract sum of $3.6 million ballooned to $9,976.209.50, is believed to have been obtained through the efforts of these same influence peddlers connected to powerful people in government.

Due diligence by the Mr Rudolf Beckly, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of DVLA has exposed some of the untenable issues in the “Foto-X Contract” .

This attempt by Beckly to sanitize the dealings at DVLA has allegedly infuriated some of the supposed influence peddlers who are making all frantic efforts to get the government to revoke his appointment.

However, these attempts to get the CEO of DVLA removed have been resisted by President John Dtamani Mahama, Sources at the Presidency, have indicated.

The driver License ID card has become the main ID card used by the public and institutions in transactions that require a proof of Identity in Ghana. The inability of qualified drivers to obtain driver license ID cards has therefore become a major concern for the public and institutions that rely on it.

Foto-X was awarded a 5-year contract to print cards in 2006. In 2009, DVLA awarded a another contract to automate its operations and services. The automated system was successfully implemented and launched in early 2012. As part of the automation, DVLA procured its own secure printers to enable the Authority print all ID cards and secure documents.

It started printing its Learner License ID cards and Vehicle Registration Certificated, but Foto-X responded by attempting to obtain an Agreement to do same and has since managed to use its political influence peddlers to stop the printing of ID cards by DVLA.

Meanwhile, officials of DVLA with sound expertise in these matters have noted that the system being operated by Foto-X has major technical deficiencies that have resulted in the production of fake cards that DVLA is trying to sort out.

State security agencies are said to have established links between some of the fake ID cards and Foto-X.