NPP, NDC fight over ballooned KMA judgment debts

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are trading blames over who is actually responsible for the ballooned judgments that have accrued at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).

Mr Osei Assibey Antwi the Kumasi Mayor late last week revealed that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is indebted to the tune of over Gh¢100 million.

He further stated that beyond the Gh¢119,213,333.22 accumulated debt accued over many years, the assembly’s judgment debt portfolio increased from Gh?6,427,287.75 to Gh?50,602,874.43 between October and December in 2016 alone when the then Ashanti regional minister John Alexander Ackon was acting.

Many questions have been asked as to how the KMA managed to accrue such GH ?44million cedis debt in 3 months with an additional $3.5 million spent on the Rattray Park above what was initially approved.

But a former government appointee of the assembly Francis Dodovi has taken the new administration of the cleaners describing their utterances as amateurish.

According to him, the comments of the current mayor indicating that the former signed fake contracts smacks of childish talk and does not augur well for a better understanding of the issues at stake.

‘He should stop talking like a class one pupil, and mention names of the previous mayors who signed fake contracts. Is it Samuel Sarpong, Kojo Bonsu, Madam Patricia Appiagyei or Maxwell Kofi Jumah, he should not hesitate to name and shame. He should also mention the companies which also signed fake contracts with the assembly,’ he fumed.

Mr Dodovi challenged the new administration to back their claims that the debt portfolio of the assembly ballooned within three months of the former administration describing their comments as fabrications to dent the hard won reputation of Mr Kojo Bonsu the former Mayor.