Dr. Yaw Baah, Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has questioned government’s intention to sell four hotels belonging to citizens as if they were all in financial distress.
He says the act of selling off the properties to a minister of State smacks of state capture, and has warned the government to halt the sale, or they halt it themselves.
His comments is in reference to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust’s (SSNIT) intention to sell its 60% stake in four hotels to Rock City Hotels, a firm belonging to Agric Minister and Member of Parliament for Abetifi, Bryan Acheampong.
At a press conference Monday, May 20, 2024, Dr. Baah disclosed that they had earlier expressed their displeasure with the transaction to the government and asked it to abate the sale but to no avail.
He indicated that if the Employment Minister whom they have asked to stop the sale fails, the TUC will do it themselves.
“We find it extremely difficult to understand why SSNIT’s interest in six hotels will be packaged and sold as if all the hotels are in the same financial position.
“We have asked them to halt it earlier. But from all indications, they are rather speeding up the process. We don’t think state properties should be sold to a minister. This smacks of state capture. If the Employment Minister fails to stop the process, we workers will stop the process,” he warned.
He added that the decision to sell four hotels instead of the six it intended initially renders the whole process null and void.
“We find it difficult to understand why the original proposal of the sale of SSNIT’s interest in six hotels has reduced to four. We hold the view that this renders the whole process null and void. We have observed that the proposed payment terms have varied from the original MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] based on the recommendations,” he added.
The sale came to light after the National Democratic Congress MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, raised an alarm about it.
The MP has since petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) calling for an investigation into various allegations, including “conflict of interest, abuse of power, lack of due process, procurement breaches, cronyism, and graft.”
In his petition, Mr Ablakwa highlights what he views as violations of constitutional provisions, specifically citing Articles 78(3) and 98(2) of the 1992 Constitution. He contends that these actions represent significant breaches of legal and ethical standards.
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