The Public Accounts Committee is set to summon public officials, Bright Oduro Kwarteng and Theophilus Okine, who made claims amounting to GHC8.2 million intended for the construction of household toilet facilities in parts of the country under the ‘Toilet for All’ project executed by the former Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources under the erstwhile NPP administration in 2019.
New revelations at the Public Accounts Committee indicate that payment documents for the contract for the Toilet for All programme under the previous NPP administration cannot be traced.
According to the Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim, efforts to verify the claims have been hindered after the officials involved indicated that the supporting documents had been forwarded to the National Archives.
He disclosed that although mobilisation funds were paid to the contractors, no work was executed, adding that the previous government had initiated steps to abrogate the contract and re-award it for execution.
“The truth of the matter is that this transaction took place at the erstwhile Ministry oof Sanitation and Water Resources and it was under the leadership of honourable Cecilia Abena Dapaah and I think it was 2019.
“So, we did our best but the good news is that the officers who handled this transaction are still at post in other ministries. The Director for Procurement was one Mr. Okine, he is still at the Ministry of Defence and Mr. Bright Oduro Kwarteng, he is now Director of Finance at the Ministry of Trade and Agrobusiness.
“The thing is not up to ten years and you say that they have been sent to archives. Mr. Chairman, we have the names of the contractors and the contracts. They were given mobilization and they did not go to site. We will provide it to the Committee so that you can call them,” he stated.
The Ranking Member on the Public Accounts Committee, Samuel Atta-Mills subsequently directed that the officials involved be hauled before the committee.
“Also invite the Minister and the current people out there. And wherever the documents are, they will have to come with them.
“You pay somebody mobilization to go and work, the person doesn’t do it, takes the money. Then you come back and want to abrogate the contract, repackage it and give it to somebody. When all of you come, we will do it live,” he stressed.
