According to the Minority in Parliament, the Bulk Oil and Transportation Company (BOST) started building an ultra-modern twin tower office in 2015 under the direction of its former managing director, Mr. Kwame Awuah Darko, to serve as office space and to increase internally generated funds to augment the BOST's cash flow.
The Akufo-Addo administration's newly appointed management of BOST, according to the Minority, wrongly accused Mr. Awuah Darko of inflating and padding the contract, which led to the suspension of the project.
Awuah Darko and several other government appointees of the former Mahama administration were the subject of extensive and detailed investigations by the Economic and Organized Crime Unit (EOCO), which of cause is nothing more than witch-hunting and whitewashing, according to Yapei Kusawgu lawmaker John Jinapor at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, July 28.
It is noteworthy that the EOCO investigations not only cleared Mr. Awuah Darko of all wrongdoing, but also found that the contract satisfied all criteria for value for money. The original contract, which was valued at $39,000,000.00 (Thirty-Nine Million Dollars), ballooned to a whopping $78,000,000.00 if the two-tower building is accounted for based on the current cost of the single unit valued at $39,000,000.00, according to recent developments and documents that are available to us (Thirty-Nine Million Dollars). This indicates that the price of the building has increased by 100% from the original contract.
Because of the precarious financial situation of the company, the current Management of BOST decided to only purchase one of the twin unit buildings. However, it applied to the Public Procurement Authority for approval to change the original contract for the single unit from the original price of $19,500,000.00 per unit to an updated price of $24,000,000.00.
"Members of the press, fellow Ghanaians, to our utmost shock and dismay, but of course as usual with this government, the PPA raised the contract sum to an exorbitant figure of $39,000,000.00 (Thirty-Nine Million United States Dollars) for a single unit when BOST could have initially constructed the twin-tower office at the original price of $39,000,000.00," he continued.
"We are adamant that this is a typical instance of causing the state financial loss. Another PDS, Ameri, and Movinpinna scandal is about to break. Under the present NPP regime, the energy industry has developed into a haven for regularised corruption, exaggerated favouritism, and corroded nepotism.
It is perplexing how a twin-tower office building that was originally granted at a cost of $39,000,000.00 has grown to a gigantic amount of $78,000,000.00 based on the price of the single unit today. Why would the PPA change the $24,000,000.00 request for BOST approval for the acquisition of the single unit building to an inflated $39,000,000.00 request? Who is responsible for this ludicrous deal?
"From the aforementioned, it is clear that some authorities are responsible for and involved in this massive scam. When it comes to tackling this problem, we have no faith in the Akufo-Addo led government. Given that BOST has been transformed into one, officials have shown a lack of professionalism and competence throughout this entire fiasco.
"We hope that the President will finally muster the fortitude to order an impartial inquiry into this scandal of mammoth size and to punish his officials whose carelessness, irresponsibility, and collusion have brought us to this terrible predicament.
"We, the Minority in Parliament, therefore serve notice that the NDC and the good people of Ghana would reject and criticise anything short of an independent investigation. We will continue to be watchful and determined in our efforts to stop the ongoing robbery and plundering of BOST resources, which are a common strategic national asset.
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