US$2.5m bribery allegation: 'I will not succumb to cheap blackmail' - Haruna Iddrisu states

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, has reacted to allegations of corruption made against him by News24, a major news portal in South Africa.

An investigative report by News24 specifically mentioned the Tamale South legislator, who allegedly benefited from bribes to the tune of over US$2.5 million (47 million rands).

The investigative report delved into the activities of siblings Rushil and Nishani Singh, who operated the Ghana Infrastructure Company (GIC) between 2017 and 2022, which indicated that the MP was a 'broker' for the company in Ghana.

In a rejoinder copied to GhanaWeb, Haruna Iddrisu categorically denied brokering any deal for GIC in Ghana, or any involvement in the company's affairs.

He stated that he had never received any payment from GIC or the Singh siblings, saying, "I will not succumb to cheap blackmail."

He added that the allegations against him were mere propaganda meant to tarnish his hard-earned reputation.

"To be clear, and for the avoidance of doubt, I have never at any point in time, received personally, directed to be paid to, benefited from, or been aware of, any unlawful, illegal or immoral payments made by either GIC or the Singhs. Also, I have never brokered any deals to benefit GIC and/or the Singhs.

"... I vehemently deny these allegations and categorically refute any implication of wrongdoing. This unfounded allegation not only seeks to tarnish my reputation but also undermines the trust and integrity of my office as the Member of Parliament for the people of Tamale South," the MP wrote.

The MP also stated that the "so-called investigative report" failed to provide any evidence of his association with the South African company or its owners.

"In this publication, I have been described as 'the Singhs’ closest associate' and as being responsible for brokering contracts worth over GHS 400 million to their company, Ghana Infrastructure Company ('GIC'), in exchange for money. In making these allegations, which I do not take lightly, News24, after its supposedly painstaking investigation, fails to show that I indeed received any monies from the Singhs or GIC. All it resorts to are fabrications and colourful storytelling in its attempts to forcefully include me in its publication. I am neither a director nor a shareholder of GIC, nor am I involved in its management.

"In all, even though I am alleged to have received Forty-Seven Million Rand (R47 million), the breakdown of the alleged receipts shows the fanciful nature of the allegations made by News24, following its supposedly elaborate investigation. Payments that were made to one Asumah Dokurugu, GIC’s director in Ghana, various suppliers, and political campaigns are for some reason being attributed to me without any basis. News24 also seeks to forcefully implicate me on an irrational basis regarding the association of my name with the Haruna Institute. For the record, the Haruna Institute does not operate a bank account and only survives on members' contributions."

The former Minority Leader of the 8th Parliament of Ghana added, "Finally, in its desperation, News24 further states that GIC paid for the construction of my house and funded several foreign trips for me. Conspicuously missing in all these claims is any suggestion or claim that there is any proof that I received these alleged payments, betraying the bad faith intent of the publication, which has sought to put square pegs in round holes just to use my name to create traction for its portal."

The News24 investigative report focused on the activities of the Singh siblings, Rushil and Nishani, who operated the Ghana Infrastructure Company (GIC) between 2017 and 2022.

Portions of the report sighted by GhanaWeb gave a breakdown of how different sums of monies were supposedly transmitted to the lawmaker through others and in some cases by way of financial support for projects.

Monies were paid in lieu of profit share from a subcontract for the construction of Buipe Hospital and for the construction of Haruna's private residence.

Payments by Singh and GIC to Haruna Iddrisu

Between 2015 and 2020, Nishani Singh used several methods to pay Iddrisu directly, or to others at his request or for his benefit, at least R47 million.

The majority of the money was paid directly from GIC’s account to various suppliers, or to GIC’s director in Ghana, Asumah Dokurugu.

This excludes amounts paid for several overseas trips to London and at least one trip to Indonesia and South Africa.

Payments breakdown:

• R31.8m: Payments to Dokurugu as well as donations to political campaigns.

• R1.6m: To Might Ghana Ltd, a company owned by Ibrahim Abdul Jalil, who is also patron of Iddrisu’s non-profit, the Haruna Institute.

• R898,808: Directly to Jalil.

• R7.3m: For the construction of Iddrisu’s house.

• R4.4m: Profit share from a subcontract for the construction of Buipe Hospital.

BAI/AE

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Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.