We can’t chase every allegation – MP tells Minority

Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku in Greater Accra, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, has challenged the minority in parliament to go to court to halt the approval of a loan facility to McDan Shipping by the Agricultural Development Bank.

The minority at a news conference Tuesday questioned the basis for which the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta gave approval for the ADB to give a loan of 10,459,500 to a private firm.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said the action of the Finance Minister was in breach of the procurement processes and rules, adding a contract given to McDan Shipping Company, did not pass through the Central Tender Review Committee as required by law.

He alleged Mr. Ofori-Atta issued a letter to the Managing Director of ADB to grant GH¢10million to the shipping company to finance the contract with COCOBOD Commenting on the issue on Wednesday on TV3’s New Day magazine show,

Dr. Boye said: “we’re encouraging the minority if they are sure of a breach, they should go beyond this and go to court”. Dr. Boye who is a New Patriotic Party MP told host of the newspaper segment of the show, Bright Nana Amfoh that “we cannot chase every allegation”.

He said in granting a loan “there should be value for money and the government must not lose money. Whoever we are dealing with must have the capacity to do the job and to make sure the procurement processes are followed and that is what the Finance Minister did”.

The MP disagreed with the minority on its claim that government was awarding contracts based on partisanship, noting that those who are getting the contract are capable of delivering on the terms.

“The issues of partisanship and nepotism were raised by the minority because they claim some party financiers are being given contracts, but the finance minister did not approve out of the loan out of vacuum”, Dr. Boye explained.

A member of the NDC communications team, Dr. Mawiah Zakaria, said “the finance minister should have provided a legal backing to his claims that without the board, the central credit committee of the bank can approve the loan”.

“In calculating the debt portfolio, these are some of the things they look at so the public and shareholders must take interest in the saga and the finance minister can also take it to court to prove that he did not err”, Dr. Zakaria explained.