Prosecute bus branding culprits - OccupyGhana

Pressure group OccupyGhana has charged the Attorney General to prosecute all officials involved in the GHS3.6million bus branding scandal.

The controversy over the amount paid in branding 116 metro mass transit buses led to the resignation of Transport Minister Dzifa Attivor.

Despite the fact that Smarttys Management and Production Limited has refunded some of the amount, OccupyGhana says governments resolve to deal with the scandal was unsatisfactory.

A member of the group, Ace Ankomah speaking to Class News’ Kwesi Parker-Wilson on the sidelines of a press conference said: “Government has had a year to take action but all that has happened is a resignation and a partial refund. …This is not enough, the people are keeping monies that they don’t deserve, the law demands that we punish the people who were engaged in this transaction. What has happened with that, how do you fight corruption by simply taking a partial refund?”

According to Mr Ankomah: “The law demands that every dime of the money be returned to Ghana, every pesewa must come back and the people who did this must be punished or else tomorrow somebody will do it and pay a partial refund. Then let’s all begin to steal and do partial refunds but unless and until we put people before court and Ghanaians know that at the very least, you will pay three times the monies lost to Ghana, we will never stop corruption”.

“If any government had been bold enough to have applied this law once, corruption would have been greatly reduced in this country but since 1979, no government has had the courage to apply AFRC Decree 58, we are demanding that they apply it,” he added.

It is recalled that government spent GHS3.6 million of Ghana’s oil revenue on branding some 116 Metro Mass Transit (MMT) buses in 2015.

The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, after the news had been made public ordered the Attorney General to investigate the matter after which the company that did the branding was ordered to refund the excess amount paid in connection with the contract.