PDS saga: Step aside – Betty Mould to ministers

Betty Mould Iddrisu has called for all ministers of state who were involved in the now suspended PDS deal to step aside for proper investigations to be done in the matter.

In her view, the best way to uncover details of the deal is to conduct a forensic audit into the process that led to the award of the contract and not the investigations ordered by the government.

PDS took over ECG on March 1 after its major shareholder Meralco Consortium from the Philippines won the Millennium Challenge Power Compact Two from the U.S.A.

However a little over four months after the takeover, the government suspended the contract after the “detection of fundamental and material breaches of PDS’ obligation in the provision of Payment Securities (Demand Guarantees) for the transaction which has been discovered upon further due diligence.”

Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Tuesday, the former education minister said the President must crack the whip immediately on his appointees.

“This affects every part of our lives and you say you didn’t do due diligence, excuse me. This was basic issues that should have been handled, I don’t think the presidential call for investigations is going to take us anywhere, there should be forensic audit to uncover what actually happened. I will like our government to explain to us what happened. In order places people would have been resigned. All ministers involved should step aside and let there be proper a investigations”.

Calls for interdiction

A former UN adviser on governance Prof. Agyemang Duah charged President Akufo-Addo to name and punish officials in his government who are culpable in the failed PDS-ECG concession deal.

According to him, the suspension of the deal by the government a few months down the line is an indication of shoddy work done.

“If the government has had the courage to suspend the contract then it should have that same courage to mention those behind the contract and let them face the law. Those who are culpable should be subjected to investigations and the necessary action taken after investigations,” he told Morning Starr host Francis Abban Thursday.

Also, the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) called for the immediate interdiction of the leadership of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) – the implementing agency for Ghana’s Power Compact.