PDS saga: Ignore NDC’s state capture claims – Oppong Nkrumah

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has dismissed claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress that the controversial PDS concession deal with ECG is a coy by some people withing government and the ruling party to unfairly take control of strategic national assets.

Following the announcement by government that the concession deal has been suspended over “serious breaches”, members of the minority have called for an audit into the shareholding structure of the local partners in the PDS deal.

Some members of the minority have claimed there are beneficial owners behind the actual people claiming to be the local shareholders.

Addressing the media in Kumasi Friday, the Ofoase Ayirebi MP said: “the claim particularly by some our political opponents that this was an attempt to conspire and take a national asset which has gone bad, there is no logic in that argument because if indeed persons within the administration as some have sought to just throw mud at them wanted to conspire to take a public asset, why would we the very ones come out to say we have noticed something, well, we are suspending it, We are doing a full scale international inquiry?

“That argument lacks logic and it is just one of those political things that people throw out there to try and create disaffection for an administration that is rather doing the right thing in the interest of the Republic of Ghana”.

Government has sent a delegation to Qatar to gather more information on the company that supposedly offered the guarantee insurance on the PDS deal to enable it decide on the future of the contract.

Meanwhile, ECG which was given the mandate to manage power distribution in the country following the suspension of the PDS contract has given back several of the roles to PDS despite the suspension announced by the state and backed by President Akufo-Addo.