How Kufuor & Co. Handed Over Ghana’s ¢720 Billion To Waterville On A Silver Platter
The most gargantuan crime ever committed against the people
of Ghana is the payment of a staggering figure of over ¢720 billion to
Waterville by President Kufuor and his cohorts for no work done.
Intelligence gathered by this paper following the brouhaha
that has come to surround the order by a High court for the sum of
GH¢51,283,480.59 to be paid to Mr. Alfred Woyome reveals that President Kufuor
and his cabinet had created the condition in which the poor tax payers' money
needed to build roads, hospitals and schools as well as provide potable
drinking water was going to be handed out to Waterville on a silver platter.
The disastrous payment followed the abrogation of the bid
won by Waterville to put up stadia and hospitals to enable Ghana host the CAN
2008 tournament.
In spite of the cabinet memo by then Minister of Education
and Sports, Osafo Maafo on July 27, 2005 warning Kufuor of the consequences if
he cancels the bid, the then President Kufuor went ahead and got the contract
abrogated.
In a letter dated 27th August, 2005 Collin Russel, solicitor
for Waterville wrote to the Kufuor government demanding compensation for the
abrogation of the contract and threatening to go to court if the compensation
is not paid.
“We conclude by stating that our clients emphatically do not
accept the content of the letter dated 22nd August 2005 on the basis that it is
not lawful under the procurement Act (Act 663) at all and also violates
protocols signed between Ghana and its development partners like IMF, World
Bank, WTO and donor partners…”
“While we reserve the right of our client to seek redress in
appropriate tribunals in Geneva and London and elsewhere as appropriate for
specific remedies and enforcement of the legal obligations of GOG set out in
this letter, the preferred route is to resolve this impasse by negotiation
reflecting those legal rights and the losses and damages and expenses that will
inevitably flow from the breach of process the GOG has seemingly set itself
upon” the letter by Collin Russel to Kufuor and his cabinet concluded.
Following this threat, a series of negotiations was held
between Waterville and the Kufuor government. In a letter dated May 27, 2008,
and written to one Dr Ganantunio Arnoldi, the Special Assistant to the Chief of
Staff, Dan Agyeman said “The Chief of Staff further assured you that as soon
verification is completed, he will recommend to H.E the President to have
Waterville's claim of approximately €21million paid directly to Waterville. We
expect to conclude this process and payment to Waterville within the shortest
possible time.”
Daily Post's intelligence gathered that by the end of the
negotiation, the Kufuor government succeeded in getting the state pay a
whopping €33million (¢726 billion) to Waterville for virtually no work done.
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