Investigate alleged crimes in award of road contracts – Roads Minister to EOCO

Following allegations that government officials demand the payment of GH¢1 million before awarding road contracts, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has directed the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to probe the allegations.

According to him, he was taken aback by the allegations as the processes leading to the awarding of contracts were open, transparent and competitive.

In a press release sighted by GhanaWeb Business, the Minister of Roads and Highways said, “These allegations are surprising at the least because the processes leading to the award of road contracts are open, transparent, competitive and by the law.”

“Given that the alleged conduct borders on the commission of a crime against the Republic, the Minister of Roads and Highway, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has today, 23rd October 2023, requested the Executive Director of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to fully investigate the allegations,” part of the release read.

What Prof. Stepen Adei said:

Prof Adei, a former Director-General and Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, in a recent interview with TV3, bemoaned the issue of corruption in the awarding of contracts for projects including roads in the Akufo-Addo government.

He said that the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, should be ashamed of himself if he is aware of the shady deals taking place in his government.

“This road contract would be given to you, provided you put one million upfront, not after you have gotten the money. This is what Akufo-Addo must be thinking about and if he knows about it, he must be ashamed.

“That now his people demand from you a certain amount before you would be considered for a job. Why? Because when they get it, whether the government pays you or not they have gotten their money. It is as if people are in a hurry to loot the country before the end of Akufo-Addo’s term,” he added.

Read the full statement by the ministry below:

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