Pratt quizzes KT Hammond over disbursement of drill ship monies

The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper has stated that despite the fact that no one can be faulted at this point in the sale of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Drill Ship, “there are questions crying for answers”.

According to Kwesi Pratt Jnr., the inconsistencies in the submissions of Hon. K.T. Hammond as far as the matter is concerned gives course for worry because it, therefore, leaves many questions unanswered.

“…as at now, nobody can be accused of any wrong doing…as at now, what is happening is that, based on the documents available, based on the testimony people have given and so on, there are holes which need to be filled. There are questions which are crying for answers. We need to probe further in order to establish the full facts involved in the sale of the GNPC Drill Ship.

“I think it is very clear. You have Mr. K.T. Hammond who says that he personally went to London to sell the ship and that after selling the ship; he paid Societe Generale $19.5 million, paid legal fees and others a million dollars and brought $3.5 million to Ghana. First he claims that he paid it to President Kufuor and changes his story and says he paid it to the Minister of Finance. This is the story of Mr. K.T. Hammond, former Deputy Minister of Energy,” Kwesi Pratt Jnr. recounted.

Speaking on Metro TV’s ‘Good Morning Ghana’ programme, Mr. Pratt further questioned how Hon. K.T. Hammond was able to pay Societe Generale since he was paid by banker’s draft, and whether he had the authority to do the payment.

“...if indeed it is true that Mr. K.T. Hammond sold the ship on behalf of the Government of Ghana as he claims, and he was paid by banker’s draft, how did he discount the bankers draft to enable him to pay Societe Generale? Did he have the authority to do, what to do? If he was paid by a banker’s draft, he would have been paid $24 million. In what capacity did he break it down?” the veteran Journalist further quizzed.

Meanwhile, Hon. K.T. Hammond has blamed the need to sell the Drill Ship on the “financial incompetence” of Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata, the then Chief Executive of the state-owned oil company.