Sarpong, Justice
Ghanaians are now very aware about the ponzi scheme or money laundering scheme the NDC party has perpetrated on the poor taxpayers of our country through the loophole called settlement debts. Woyome is now a household name in negative terms because of the 92 million Ghana cedis or 60 million dollars Atta Wayo Mills and his former Attorney General and Finance Minister, Betty Mould-Iddrisu and Kwabena Duffour conspired to steal and launder it amongst themselves and the party that came out with a brand new mansion at Adabraka in Accra called NDC Party headquarters. Do we know about other settlement debts paid to people close to the NDC Party?
This is what I call poetic justice, it was the NDC rented media newspapers that unwillingly exposed this scandal about settlement debts. The settlment debt issue first came out when one of the NDC rented newspapers wrote an article about how Kuffour NPP has caused the country to lose 279 million cedis which later became 642 million cedis to embarrass his administration which led to Kennedy Agyapong exposing this Woyome payment. Now, do we know how much NDC paid one guy by the name Hodari Okai? There are too many scandals in the settlement debt issue Woyome is just the tip of the iceberg.
One NDC fool soldier in this forum with moniker, 'Whatever' wrote a comment in one of my articles dealing with the Woyome scandal and told me to harp on how Kuffour paid 87 million dollars to one of his cronies in 2008. I was shocked to hear such a colossal amount has been paid to one company or person in a settlement debt so I challenged him to give me more information about who received that amount and where he got his information from and he responded with this;
Whatever; "Kufour paid judgement debts to a crony to the tune of $87MILLION. What was that? Why don't you go and fight with the judge Check the Daily Post of 4 January 2012 on Ghanawebs achive.If you want to respond to my comments, do so on the basis of fact, not rubbish. You rely on the fabrication of Daily Guide to write your comments yet you have problem with Daily Post. Fact is per the publication of daily post, it was Kufour who paid it. unless there is counter evidence to the contradict it, I would hold onto it in much the same way that you hold on to the rubbish that Woyome never had a contract with government when you know that the court admitted the case on the intention of the charge sheet."
He later mentioned the name of the company as Rockshell company and what I found about that case is really interesting. He got the figure from a Daily post publication that only mentioned the amount as having been paid by Kuffour or was caused by Kuffour without even checking about the veracity of the story because this is the only thing reported in the Daily post publication;
"n Ordered by court to pay $87million in Rockshell caseKufuor couldn’t care less about the colossal amount of money the state was losing in so far as he was killing businesses owned by people perceived to be friendly towards the NDC and especially as he was making so much money from kickbacks. Sadly, thanks to Martin Amidu"
The fact on this Rockshell case is that, Rawlings incurred this debt like most of the debts NDC are now paying because it was contracts awarded to NDC supporters in most cases who failed to perform or fulfil their contract obligations during the first NDC administration and Mills NDC is giving taxpayers money to these companies and individuals like we are just printing the money from the slave castle. Mills paid this 87 million dollars in 2010 in a case that NPP administration reached a settlement agreement with this company for 12 million dollars.
Rawlings contracted with Rockshell during the PNDC days to supply granite for the Keta sea defence project and after this company has fulfilled its part of the bargain, Rawlings failed to pay the company and the company sued Ghana government in 1986. Yes, Rockshell filed a case against PNDC in 1986, PNDC did not pay them, NDC did not pay them and that is 15 years Rawlings failed to settle a debt Ghana owed and NPP too did not pay them either despite the fact that, this company has won judgement against Ghana government back in 1986. NPP in many instances reached reached settlement agreements with this company for lesser amount, including one that the company accepted 12 million dollars but still did not pay it for whatever reason, I have no idea.
Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas wrote a detailed investigative article on this issue in September 2009 and the quotes below are from his article.
"Rockshell International Limited vrs. Attorney-Genral.
How Govt. Of Ghana Ignored Advice From AESC To Pay Debt Promptly On The Keta Sea Defense Project In 1986. Twenty seven years (27) after selling granite to the government of Ghana to save Keta from the ravages of rising tidal waves, Rockshell International Limited are selling off their assets and folding up, ravaged by the hostile posture of their client which has overwhelmed them with a rising tide of debt. Documents obtained by The New Crusading Guide from an Accra High Court confirms this
The claims is the 2005 suit arose out of the failure of the Government of the Ghana to honour Interim Payment Certificate No. 12 dated 28th January 1986 in the amount of ¢ 553, 056, 000, which sum is due to Rockshell International Limited for work done under the Keta Sea Defence Project. Most probably if the government of Ghana had heeded to the advice by the Architecture And Engineering Services Corperation (AESC), the country would have paid only US$ 9.2 million dollars in 986. A letter addressed to the then chief of Director of the Ministry of Works and Housing and other stake holders dated 11/03/86 warned government to take appropriate actions towards the early payment of the amount involved in order to avoid the 'incidence of interest payment in future'. What this means is that, the more government delays in payment the more the country incurs financial loss on "
This is not the only case where NDC has paid money under bizzare circumstances under Betty Mould A-G stewardship. The new Attorney General, Martin Amidu came to office and turned off the money flowing tap on this settlement schemes and he has incurred the wrath of the thieves at the Castle and the NDC rented media partners. One such case is the Gbewaa Civil Engineering Company that is rumored to have connections to the Vice-President, John Mahama.
We are now hearing A-G Amidu is being hounded because he refused to pay Vice-President Mahama connected Gbewaa Civil Engineering Company 6 million dollars in settlement debts hence the villification by the rented NDC media.
The good people of Ghana should demand from Atta-Wayo Mills administration how much settlements debts he has paid since coming to office and to which individuals and companies and how much were paid to them individually. This is not a case for EOCO to investigate but a commission of Inquiry should be set up to investigate this scandal.
Justice Sarpong
Houston, Texas
