I fear Ghana may pay judgement debt over 'MoMo' - Johnson Asiama

Former deputy governor of the Central Bank Dr. Johnson Asiama, is expressing fear that, Ghana may soon be forced to pay judgement debt over the abrogation of the mobile money interoperability contract awarded to Sibton Switch under the previous NDC administration.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Kwame Tutu on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, the former deputy governor said, Ghana has currently being challenged at the international arbitration court.

Dr. Asiama was of the view that, government should have found a reasonable way to abrogate the contract.

The period for the contract was fifteen years but there was a provision for an extension for 10 years.

‘’You could still sit down with the company and look at the contract again if you had any issues because the project had barely started…Just about three months to the elections and so if you come to power and have issues with any part of it, you sit down with the company, you express your intention; you say, no let’s really look at this again or in extreme cases you even say how can we mutually abrogate this contract and then you engage in that conversation and reach an agreement. But if you don’t do that and just say it is over and I am walking away,’’ the company will sue and the tax payers money would be used to compensate the company.

He has therefore advised government to engage the company so Ghana is not forced to use tax payers’ money to compensate them if their case at the arbitration court goes through.

He explained, the Central Bank only allocated an administrative cost of GHc300, 000 and the company that won the bid out of the 3 considered was to use its own resources for the project.

He said, the bank issued an RFP and there was nothing fishy about the contract.

A selective tendering was done with four companies responding but one withdrew.

Three companies were considered and the bid was scrutinized and the most responsive bid went to Sibton Switch because their bid met all the expectations of the project. According to him, he had to speak up because his integrity was at stake.

''When I was in office we followed due process, the right thing was done. There were no infractions. EOCO actually investigated that issue...That alone should be enough to clear me and my colleagues from any wrongdoing and I think we should be clear on that,'' he added.