Sipa Yankey takes CHRAJ to court

Dr Sipa Yankey   Former Health Minister Dr. George Sipa-Yankey has taken legal action against the Commission on Human Rights and Administration Justice (CHRAJ). The suit is challenging CHRAJ's decision to suspend public hearings into the Mabey and Johnson bribery scandal. CHRAJ suspended the hearings last week after some of the other former public officers alleged to have been bribed by Mabey and Johnson filed a writ challenging the jurisdiction of CHRAJ to investigate the the matter. But Dr. Sipa Yankey, who resigned to clear his name, is insisting that CHRAJ should hear his case. His lawyer, Kwame Gyan, told Joy News’ Cyrus deGraft-Johnson after filing the suit at the Human Rights Court he was seeking an order of certiorari to quash the decision of CHRAJ to suspend the investigation indefinitely and an order of mandamus “to compel CHRAJ to give Dr Sipa Yankey a hearing.” Mr Gyan said Dr Yankey is eager to get his name cleared because the former minister “is a young man, a very reputable professional [who] had a very reputable position which he had to relinquish to come and clear his name. We are pursuing other efforts in the UK in the same regard of clearing his name and we need the man to have time and the energies freed up so he can pursue that effort in the UK and then also move on with his life.” Asked if Dr Yankey is still nursing plans to return to public office, the lawyer said “that is the prerogative of the President.” Source: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana *Fiifi Koomson contributed reporting

Sipa Yankey to appear before CHRAJ today

Dr Sipa Yankey, former Health Minister Former Health Minister Dr George Sipa Yankey is expected to appear before the public hearings of the Commission on Human Rights and Administration Justice (CHRAJ) into the Mabey and Johnson bribery case, which begins today. Dr Sipa Yankey resigned after a UK court implicated him and other public officials as having received monies from UK construction firm Mabey and Johnson. He has maintained his innocence and at today’s initial hearing he is expected to put up his defence. The public hearings form part of the final phase of the commission’s investigations into the case. CHRAJ Commissioner Emile Short said a three-member panel will sit to hear Dr Yankey’s response. “In some cases that we investigate, it gets to a stage where it becomes necessary to take evidence; that is, witnesses are called to testify on both sides, that is from the commission and from the person that we are investigating…It is that stage that we have got to,” Mr Short told Joy News. “At the end of all the evidence, then we write a decision.” Other officials who were also named in the controversy include former Roads Minister Ato Quarshie, Alhaji Amadu Seidu and Boniface Abubakar Saddique. They have all denied the allegations of bribery against them. Your super station Joy 99.7 FM will bring listeners a live broadcast of the hearings. Source: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Revealed: Names Of M&J Bosses Who Okayed Bribes

FOR THE FIRST time, a Ghanaian newspaper can reveal that the 48-year-old son of Mr. Bevic Mabey, the only living founder of the British bridge building company, Mabey and Johnson, was part of the directors the company says put in a bribery scheme to pay public officials in Ghana, Jamaica and a host of other countries.

David Mabey, the only son of Bevic, is identified in the British papers as the Company Secretary and part of the duo –the other is his father – who “have at all material times been in exclusive control of the affairs of M&J. Whilst directors within the Mabey group could be appointed or removed at the behest of the shareholders, those same shareholders were David Mabey and his family” the SFO noted.

David’s family’s company, Mabey Holdings, which is the parent company of M&J, was estimated by the Construction magazine, a UK publication in 2007, as the 312th richest company in the UK.

The family at the time has assets of £205 million and, with dividends and other wealth, was worth £260 million. Today it is estimated to be worth £400 million

Though David’s role in the bribery affair was hidden, this paper’s sources in London have confirmed that he is the one identified as Director B in the SFO probe,

The other directors whose identity were withheld are Messrs Charles Forsyth, Richard Glover, Allen Daliday and one man who rose through the ranks from an executive position of manning affairs in Ghana (where M&J had its African head office) and the Philippines to become a Director.

He is nobody but Miles Potter, the British citizen admitted by M&J and admitted by the UK crown court to have managed the bribery scheme put in place in Ghana. Mr. Potter lived in Ghana for almost four years (see other story).

Together, these directors whose identities were withheld by the Southwark Crown Court were alleged to have put in place a bribery scheme that has seen the resignation of at least one serving minister of state, Joseph Hilbert, in Jamaica and two in Ghana.

The plea bargain agreement by M&J, however, allowed the court to withhold their identities as some of the former Director of M&J men are reported to be insisting that they did not commit any crime under UK law at the time of the said acts.

Source: GYE NYAME CONCORD

Mabey and Johnson: Mr.Miles Potter (Director D): The Man Who Paid Sipa Yankey & Co

EARLY THIS PAST Monday morning, Dr George Sipa-Yankey, who had resigned his post as Ghana’s Health Minister 48 hours earlier, was seen arriving in London.

Barely 24-hours earlier, he had had a row with the nominated Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria, Alhaji Baba Kamara, over allegations reportedly made by him on radio that the later was the one who collected his passport to facilitate payment to him from M&J.

Sources say Kamara had not taken kindly to the allegations and minced no words in telling the troubled Yankey to go and check his records well before speaking loosely.

Shaken and under criticism from NDC party supporters, some of whom had earlier supported him but were now turning on him, Sipa Yankey decided to do the wisest thing. He flew the next available flight to London to call on his bank to call all records of his transactions within the period under review to be able to speak properly to the issue and to possibly meet the other man who could help refresh his memory on the scandal threatening to end his political career.

Unfortunately, Gye Nyame Concord can authoritatively reveal that the man who could have helped refresh his memory was not in London.

Mr Miles Potter, the Mabey and Johnson man who dealt with and largely paid a number of top Ghanaian officials accused of receiving bribes from the British bridge building company, and who is identified as “Director D” was no longer in London. He now lives on the Asian continent, sources in London told this paper.

The then fresh university graduate spent almost four years in Ghana in the 90s and managed to worm his way into the heart and minds of top public officials through the doling of ‘freebies’ in cash.

Those freebies transferred to various accounts in London and elsewhere are what the soft-spoken 56-year-old head of the British SFO, Richard Alderman (picture on the front page), now says were part of a deliberate bribery scheme put in place by M&J to corruptly procure contracts.

M&J, according to the Queens Counsel for the SFO, John Hardy, paid “a wide-ranging series of bribes” totalling £470,000 to politicians and officials in Ghana, with Dr George Sipa-Yankey, Messrs Amadu Seidu, Ato Quarshie, Boniface Abubakar Saddique and Edward Lord-Attivor allegedly travelling to Britain to collect various sums of money from bank accounts in London.

In the eyes of the SFO, M&J paid public servants modest sums which were relatively small in proportion to the commercial gain the company got.

What the SFO, however, stopped short of doing was to disclose the identity of the man it said oversaw the Ghana situation and whom it only identified as “Director D” in court.

Truth is, the late Danny Ofori Atta had a running battle with the young Englishman with an expertise in finance, who had been brought into the country to supervise the work of M&J and who was to rise as an executive officer to become a Director of the company after a successful stint much later in life in the Philippines.

According to the evidence led by QC John Hardy in court, on April 3, 1996, the late Ofori-Atta stormed the Twyford offices of M&J in London with a relative to meet with the Office Manager of M&J following his frustration with Potter in Accra.

The records show that the complaint from the late Danny Ofori Atta, a former kingpin of the EGLE party, was that he did not have total control of the 15 per cent commission due him and some of which should be shared to public officials.

Miles Potter, who was then in Accra, was not delivering on the bribes to him, the SFO suggests.

In the words of the SFO, Danny Ofori Atta had problems with Potter’s presence in Accra and did not believe Mr Potter was distributing “5% to the “relevant personnel” or “local personalities”.

Records sourced from M&J by the SFO noted that Danny, who is identified in the documents as Mr Ofori, complained that he had been sidelined by Potter, who was now dealing directly with other Ghanaians and that when he (Danny) was involved in the payment scheme of the total amount of the “15% commission the present difficulties would not have existed”.

This was because he had dealt with the situation ably in the past.

Again it was about Miles Potter on whom Danny wrote a letter dated March 14, 1996 and sent via fax on a “Danielli Mabey Ltd” letterhead marked for the attention of his wife, Mrs Margaret Ofori, in Accra to be passed on to M&J head office.

In the fax, Danny complained that “the situation in Ghana has been deteriorating gradually ever since Director D (Potter) came into Ghana.”

Potter according to the SFO had equally sent a “confidential memo” dated 25 March 1996 directly to Director B (David Mabey)) rebutting Mr. Ofori’s assertions, and detailing how it was that he had had a meeting recently with the only person who “can guarantee M&J’s position in this market”: Kwame Peprah.

All these disputes occurred because the Mabey family firm, whose worldwide empire is based on exports of steel bridges, had decided at the time in the word of the British SFO to “sideline” Danny and “to impose more direct control over the payments made to “local personalities” by” Potter “supervising and control from 1994”.

Significantly, after his stint in Accra, Potter was assigned a duty post in the Philippines where he successfully managed to change the fortunes of the British firm by bringing in more than a billion British Pound bridge building contracts.

The story on his Philippine exploits, which nearly marred the presidency of that country’s president, was captured in the following terms by the UK-based Guardian newspaper.

“A little-known family who became one of the richest in Britain have been accused of making excessive profits in an aid project, by building what their critics call “bridges to nowhere”.

A Guardian investigation has discovered that steel bridges costing more than £400m have been sold to the Philippines by the Mabey family, all secured with UK government-backed loans and grants. But many of the crossings, which were supposed to open up the flood-prone jungle terrain, have no roads to go with them.

The British construction company, Mabey & Johnson, owned by the Mabey family, has been handed virtually all the supply contracts for the bridges, despite being more expensive than its competitors. Accusations of corruption and overcharging are now being made in the Philippines. Mabey denies any impropriety, saying the allegations are made by rivals or are politically motivated.”

Source: GYE NYAME CONCORD

M&J saga: CHRAJ writes to 'accused'

Mr Short: the material obtained from the Attorney General was insufficient. The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) says it has delivered letters to some of the public officials implicated in the Mabey and Johnson bribery scandal, as a first step towards a full scale investigation into the matter. This, it said, was in accordance with regulations in the investigation of complaints contained in the Complaint Procedure Regulations, Constitutional Instrument No 7. CHRAJ, however, said it had encountered some difficulties in its attempt to serve the letters on Alhaji Abubakar Siddique Boniface and Lord Attivor, two of the officials mentioned in the case, as they could not be found. Mr Emile Short, the commissioner, said preliminary investigation was underway to gather evidence to determine whether there was some substance in the allegations made. "If satisfied there is some substance to the allegations, we shall conduct a full investigation which would involve setting up a panel to investigate the allegations," he told the Daily Graphic. "At the moment, we do not have all the information we require to make that determination," he added. Mr Short said the material obtained from the Attorney General was insufficient for CHRAJ to decide whether the case merited a full scale investigation or not. By the Complaint Procedure Regulations of CHRAJ, a complaint to the Commission is to be made in writing or orally to the national office of the Commission or to a representative of the Commission at the regional or district branch of the Commission. In its preliminary investigations, CHRAJ must contact the people against whom the allegations have been made with a request for their response and they in turn shall respond within 10 days from the day of the receipt of CHRAJ's request. Although the regulations stipulated how a complaint is to be made to CHRAJ, the President's request is not being considered as a complaint nor is the President himself considered as a complaint, Mr Short Said. Rather, the President's invitation was being considered as a request to an independent body like CHRAJ to conduct the investigation to avoid any allegation or perception that an investigation by the Attorney General would result in a cover-up or whitewash of the whole affair. Source: Daily Graphic

The M&J Saga, Rawlings And Wife Are 'Guilty' Too.

The NDC dreaded 25th September upon us and the Political fallout is yet to hit them, but folks, believe me, this is a corruption case that even murderer Rawlings is not going to escape without some wounds inflicted on him and his Accountability and probity nonsense being called into question. If Rawlings was really in control of his administration, how come he didn't know what was going on right under his nose? Rawlings was in the loop on this corruption case and the British Government is shielding him to avoid the Political upheaval that might descend on our country if he is named, why do I believe that?' The eating is in the pudding'.

Let's examine the court ruling that came out on September 25th, 2009

"114. The role of Baba Kamara and his value as an agent to M&J is made clear in a document authored by a M&J executive, probably prior to July 1996, and sent to Director A; Director B; Director C and Director E. The document is entitled 'Ghana Review of existing Agent and introduction of alternative Agent' .

WHY IS M&J SWITCHING FROM KWAME OFORI, THE FOUNDER OF THE EAGLE PARTY TO KAMARA? HERE IS THE ANSWER;

"He is the NCE (sic) Treasurer and also the political overseer for the Ministry of Roads and Highways. He is a member of the all powerful NDC Finance Committee which includes Kwame Peprah (Minister of Finance and Minister of Mines and Energy), Obed Asamoah (Justice Minister and Foreign Minister) and Mrs Rawlings amongst others"

M&J switched to Kamara because of the influence he had at that time, he was working closely with the named individuals who wielded a lot of power at that time. Mrs Rawlings in particular was very attractive to the M&J Directors because of the total influence she has over her husband, a murderous Dicatator who was feared because of the way he treated his own Vice President, beating a 68 year old man who he outweight at leats hundred pounds and twenty years older. Let's get back to the M&J issue and tie Rawlings and his wife into it.

"115. Additionally, Mr. Kamaras wife was secretary to the then President of Ghana - the former Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, who had originally achieved power by means of a military coup in 1981. Unsurprisingly, a person in the position of influence of Mr. Kamara was an attractive prospect to M&J as agent for their business in Ghana,"

This Kamara guy might end up being the key in solving Rawlings hidden millions. His wife was secretary to the goon who was the President at the time and this did not skip the minds of the M&J Executives who found in him the avenue to reach the top echelon of the NDC administration. Below is an important quote and forumers who are should examine it carefully as what the intended person the M&J really wanted to entrap. The most important word in that sentence is "DEPLOYED". If Kamara is the final arbitor in this coruption scheme, the who is he supposed to deploy some of the corruption money to?

"that M&J knew and intended that commission paid to Mr. Kamara would be deployed as and when required to corruptly promote M&J commercial interests."

Mabey and Johnson Executives have been dishing out monies to some Ministers and top Civil servants without any assitance, why do they now need a middleman to 'deploy' some of their bribery money ? Somebody is trying to get a pie of this money but don't want their names to be involved. Did Rawlings talk to his secretary to talk to the husband? Your guess is as good as mine. We all know about Rawlings corrupt stories emanating from Nigeria and his interest in that country, how come this KAMARA guy is now the GHANA AMBASSADOR to NIGERIA? Who got that guy that Nigeria gig? Is he being sent there to watch Rawlings interest in that country?

Rawlings, the cognoscente of Probity and Accountability is going to be exposed as a corrupt individual because of his penchant for logorrhea. Rawlings profanity tirades laced with pure hatred for the person of former President Kuffour when he make his speeches in foreign countries would be his downfall. He escaped with the Scancem millions including the 17 million check his wife took from Scancem officials. The next company the government of Ghana should talk to the British SFO to look into as far as Ghana is concerned is the BiWater company whose officials are alleged to have paid for the education of Rawlings Somali adopted children in exchange for a contract in Ghana.

The Person of interest in this saga is Kamara and President Mills should not send him to Nigeria as our Ambassador until we found out from him who else benefitted from this corruption scheme. The other important person who could have been of help is the KWAME OFORI guy who is dead. The Kamara guy and his wife should be protected now before they meet the same fate as Kwame Ofori. The M&J paid 470,000 pounds in bribes in Ghana to win a 20 million pounds contract. So far some names have come ot with how much each received. Out of this 470,000 pounds, only about 115,000 pounds is accounted for, who received the 355,000 pounds balance? President MILLS, that is the question Ghanaians need an answer to.

sarpongjustice@ymail.com

SARPONG JUSTICE

TEXAS

Sipa Yankey Flies Out

Information reaching the Daily Guide newspaper indicates that Dr. George Adjah-Sipa Yankey, immediate past Minister of Health and a recipient of the Mabey & Johnson largesse, has flown out of the country as the Commission on Human rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) commences its investigations into the scandal.

Dr Yankey is said to have left for the United Kingdom on Monday night to, as it were, work on his accounting records in view of the upcoming CHRAJ investigations, Daily Guide has learnt. A former Director of Legal and International Affairs at the Ministry of Finance, he is said to have received about £15,000 in his Midland Bank account in Hill Street, London W1, from Mabey and Johnson.

The former Health Minister is particularly seeking his bank statement in the past 15-years but has reportedly been assured of getting five years’ statement, a source has told Daily Guide.With CHRAJ putting finishing touches to its probing of the Mabey & Johnson bribery saga as per the President’s directive, Dr. Yankey is said to be tying all possible loose ends in readiness.

His radio station talks about his involvement or otherwise in the debacle is said to have ruffled feathers at the Castle.After his widely publicized denial, he contradicted himself when in a radio programme in Kumasi, he recalled how he declined the Mabey & Johnson offer but was impressed upon to donate the largesse to a charity if he did not want it.

By the foregone, he sent tongues wagging about his sincerity against the back drop of his previous position.Dr. Sipa-Yankey’s handling of the subject since his name dropped as one of the beneficiaries has been anything but impressive, party sources told Daily Guide.

He attributed his decision to resign to a desire to shield the President from the public flak which was on the ascendancy since the saga broke.

That he was able to travel out when Stephen Asamoah-Boateng was denied such privilege has prompted questions about the existence of selective justice in the country.Mabey and Johnson, the British bridge construction firm with tentacles across the world, bribed a number of public officials in the country in a manner which has put Ghana on the spotlight, albeit negatively.

The President has already nominated Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor as Health Minister, sealing all hopes of the return of Dr. Sipa Yankey to the ministerial fold.

Source: Daily guide

M&J scandal: Gov't should aid CHRAJ with needed resources

The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has called on government to provide the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) with all resources needed to investigate the Mabey & Johnson bribery scandal. The coalition, in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Mrs Florence F. Dennis, stated its satisfaction with government for referring the case to CHRAJ for investigation. The statement noted that government by doing this has demonstrated its “faith and confidence” in the commission as a constitutionally mandated body to fight corruption. “The handing over of this case to CHRAJ, a member of the Coalition, is a litmus test for the Commission which was set up under the Constitution to among other things investigate all instances of alleged or suspected corruption and the misappropriation of public monies by officials and to take appropriate steps including reports to the Attorney General and the Auditor General resulting from such investigations,” the statement said. According to the statement, the GACC is confident that CHRAJ has the track record and goodwill to investigate the allegations in a transparent manner. The Coalition also appealed to all relevant British Institutions, the public, especially public servants, politicians and the media to cooperate with CHRAJ to make its work easier. Investigations into the Mabey & Johnson(M&J) bribery scandal follows a ruling by a London court that cited some Ghanaian ministers, including, Dr Sipah-Yankey, Alhaji Amadu Seidu, Baba Kamara and Boniface Saddique as having taken bribes in the 1990s from officials of a UK construction firm, Mabey and Johnson. Meanwhile, CHRAJ’s Commissioner, Emile Short has promised that his outfit will demonstrate independence and neutrality in the investigation of the Mabey and Johnson (M&J) bribery scandal. He has, however, pointed out that the commission commenced its own investigations into the case before the President called on the them to initiate investigations into the matter. By: Dorcas Efe Mensah/myjoyonline/Ghana

Punish politicians for corruption - Kojo Asante

Former Sports Minister, Mallam Issah tried and convicted of corruption under the Kufuor-led administration The Legal Officer of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Mr Kojo Asante says the society’s failure to punish politician for corruption accounts for the pervasiveness of the menace. He said if politicians know that there is a political price to pay if they engage in corruption, there will be an abeyance. Speaking to Joy FM’s Super Morning Show host Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah Tuesday, he said if society shunned people accused of corruption as happens elsewhere, many a Ghanaian will exercise restraint especially in conducting public business. Placard-wielding people chanting slogans and supporting persons alleged to have engaged in corruption must cease, he intimated. According to Mr Asante, while the nation has done well in the formulation of laws and institutions to fight corruption, enforcing the measures remained largely abysmal. The biggest challenge militating against the fight against corruption in the country was the lack of political will, he observed. For the anti-corruption campaigner, if the executive arm of government which wields considerable power showed serious commitment to the fight, the country would have seen some significant progress. He said dealing with corruption requires more than just expression of intention, which is all executives appear to do. Responding to cries of political witch-hunting when allegations of corruption are being investigated, Mr Asante said the cross-political trails of supposed corrupt officials accounted for the situation. He said apart from the Mallam Issah case tried under former president Kufuor, many governments try their political opponents for corruption ignoring members of their own political parties accused of the crime. “One feature of our fighting of corruption has almost always been post incumbent and so anytime there is a change in government, people are tried for corruption”. When this happens people are bound to suspect political witch-hunt. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Corruption allegation is 'malice-laden' - Adjei-Barwuah

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Dr Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah, Ghana's former Ambassador to Japan, on Monday said the allegation that he diverted US$125,000 meant for two public universities in Ghana was "malice-laden and unjustifiable".

At a press conference in Accra, Dr. Adjei-Barwuah said: "I have been unjustifiably attacked and regret the way everything in Ghana has been politicized."

Dr. Adjei-Barwuah who was also the High Commissioner to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea during former President John Kufuor's administration, stated that in December 2001 when he took the ambassadorial responsibility, Ghana's economy was not a on sound footing.

Japan also withdrew a loan offer and suspended the non-project grants that supported the private sector.

"My charge," he said, was to "do all I could to have the Japanese government and the people renew their faith."

Dr. Adjei-Barwuah said he contacted Lotte, a leading chocolate manufacturer in Japan for support, adding that he capitalized on the more than 40 years experience of Lotte's Ghana Chocolate Bar as the largest selling product in Ghana and negotiated for assistance from the company.

According to him, Lotte agreed to monetary support to graduate students from the Ghanaian universities especially those pursuing courses in the areas of cocoa and chocolate industries.

Dr. Adjei-Barwuah noted that part of the programme included Lotte-sponsored internship package where sponsored students would be invited to work with the company for at least six months prior to their graduation.

"Lotte graciously agreed to these propositions and duly lodged US$25,000.00 with the Embassy on July 17, 2003," adding that the Vice Chancellors of both University of Ghana(UG) and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST) including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Cocobod were duly informed."

Dr. Adjei-Barwuah said to protect the donation, on December 20 2003 the amount was moved from the Embassy's Yen account to a property account as it was a dollar account.

He explained that when the internship date was fixed with Lotte as the second instalment of the scholarship, Lotte raised the issue of lack of any report and indication of action on the first instalment of the scholarship.

"I could also not offer any information on the students who were to come to Tokyo."

It was for this reason, Dr. Adjei-Barwuah said, the company decided to roll back the scheme and requested the return of the funding.

When the universities finally sent a letter to that effect in 2004 he said he wrote to them in letter dated November 17, 2004 that "the facility was no longer on the table."

He further explained that if the fund was permanently returned to Lotte, "Ghana's image as well as my credibility as the nation's representative were all at stake, there would never be the possibility of any beneficial cooperation between Ghana and the company."

"In returning the fund, I presented Lotte with a new proposition in which I wanted the company to give the funding to my charitable organisation to support lower level education," he said.

"As part of the agreement, the first three year's instalment would be spent on a basic school in his hometown- Parkoso School," he said.

Lotte, he said "had agreed and subsequently transferred the funds to my charity's accounts in Accra and the charity's account details were communicated to Lotte on July 30, 2004."

Dr. Adjei-Barwuah stressed that audit report on the matter was issued four years ago and the questions about the project were cleared.

He however, said the auditors held the view that since the first instalment of the fund was deposited in government account the money though returned to Lotte and later given to the charity should be put back into government account.

For the avoidance of being accused of taking government money in the future, Dr. Adjei-Barwuah said he was prepared to put the money in a government account on condition that the money would be spent on Parkoso School project because "that was the condition agreed with Lotte and I had to submit reports to that effect."

The auditors, he said on their return to Accra left a number with his wife as being the number of the account into which he was to transfer the funds.

"I certainly could not make the transfer on the strength of a long distance phone information given the nature of the issue," he noted.

He said the Ministry of Education had sent experts to visit Parkoso and assessed the repairs needed and submitted reports to that effect.

Dr. Adjei-Barwuah indicated that as at now, had four instalments of the fund, which stood, at $100,000.00, a figure, which contradicted the amount, quoted by the two newspapers.

He said the fund enabled Bonsafo Barwuah Foundation, the name of his charity foundation to build a six classroom block for the Parkoso School in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area in the Ashanti Region.

The Daily Graphic and the Enquirer in their front pages issue of October 7, 2009 published an audit report, which indicted Dr. Adjei- Barwuah of $125,000.00 scandal.

He was alleged to have transferred the amount meant to offer scholarship for some students of two public universities in Ghana into the account of his foundation Lotte-Bonsafo Scholarship Foundation.

Source: GNA

M&J bribery scandal: NDC MP demands accused must resign

A National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Shai Osudoku has waded into the controversial Mabey & Johnson bribery scandal, demanding the immediate resignation of all the accused persons. David Tetteh Assumeng told Joy News’ Bernard Saibu that the continued stay in office by the accused persons clearly violates the principle of probity and accountability, tenets on which the party was founded. Health Minister, Dr. George Sipa Yankey, Ambassador designate for Nigeria, Baba Kamara, Ato Quarshie, Alhaji Boniface Saddiq have all been mentioned as beneficiaries of inflated prices of projects undertaken and downright bribes paid by the UK construction firm, Mabey & Johnson. The Osudoku MP said any delays by President Mills in dealing with the allegations will only whip up unnecessary criticisms. Even though he commended the President for taking a swift action in dispatching the Attorney-General to UK to begin investigations into the matter, he said the accused “must step aside and allow investigations to continue.” Meanwhile, anti-corruption campaigner, Vitus Azeem has supported calls for an independent investigation into the bribery scandal. Pressure group, the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) at a press conference on Thursday charged President Mills to show palpable commitment in dealing with the scandal. Anthony Karbo, spokesperson of the group described the Attorney General’s investigation as cosmetic, saying the anti-corruption institutions such as the Serious Fraud Office and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice should be drafted into the investigations. Agreeing in part to the demands made by AFAG, Vitus Azeem said the A-G could have applied for the information from the UK’s SFO instead of going there. On the calls for the accused persons to resign from office, the anti-corruption crusader said the accused can only do so if they admit taking the money, but can hold on if they are denying the allegations. In any case, he said it is the prerogative of the president to decide which cause of action to take. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Mabey & Johnson: Sipa Yankey and Seidu Amadu have resigned

Dr. Sipa-Adjah Yankey is yet to make any public statement on the bribery scandal President John Evans Atta-Mills has accepted the resignation of two Ministers of State, Dr. George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, Minister of Health and Mr Seidu Amadu, Minister of State at the Presidency, following the bribery allegations in the Mabey and Johnson case. This follows lengthy closed door discussions held over the last two days with the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, the Chief of Staff, Mr John Henry Martey Newman, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu as well as other close aides of the President. A statement issued on Friday by the Chief of Staff said the President had also decided to invite an independent body, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), to conduct investigations into those allegations of bribery against Ghanaian public officials in the said case. The statement said the President expressed regret at the resignations and was hopeful that the decision to ask CHRAJ to investigate the case would offer a platform for the public officials named in the case to clear their names and reputations. It would be recalled that on September 25, this year, a London court convicted officials of Mabey and Johnson for paying bribes to Ghanaian government officials for the award of road contracts in Ghana in the 1990s. The Ghanaian officials mentioned in the case included Dr Yankey, who was a director at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and Alhaji Amadu, who was also a Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways at the time of the alleged bribery. Following the judgement, the President directed the Attorney General to obtain details of the case for further action. Mrs Mould-Iddrisu went to London on October 5, 2009 and held discussions with top directors and high ranking officials of UK's Serious Fraud Office to build data for a thorough investigation into the case. She returned last Wednesday night. Source: Daily Guide/Ghana

Mabey & Johnson: What will Mills do?

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The government’s response was unsurprisingly typical.

“President Mills has become aware of a judgment in London, convicting a British company, Mabey and Johnson of and its directors after they pleaded guilty to making corrupt payments to certain Ghanaian public officials,” chief of staff, John Newman said in a statement.

“President Mills has instructed the attorney general to request for detailed information from the authorities in the United Kingdom about the matters that have resulted in the conviction. This is to inform a course of action on the matter to include investigations in Ghana.”

If you know Ghanaian politics, you won’t keep your fingers crossed. There will be no “course of action”. That is to say that no one will be punished and the government will go to great lengths to throw dust into our eyes, telling us some cock and bull stories about the lack of evidence or some other meaningless mumbo jumbo to whitewash the named officials. We are going to be fed with a lot of crap about what happened and what did not happen and at the end of the day, it will be like Mabey and Johnson never happened.

The corrupt deeds for which Mabey and Johnson is being punished took place whiles our current President was vice President under the Rawlings administration. The stinking dossier presented by Britain’s Serious Fraud Office indicates that people very high up in the government took huge sums of money from the British Company to promote the firm’s commercial interests here.

Some of the monies were paid to people who had been tasked with the responsibility of raising money for the ruling party at the time – which is the ruling party now. Some of the monies undoubtedly went into the NDC’s war chest that helped Rawlings to win his second term as a civilian president with Atta Mills as his vice.

Whether he cares to admit it or not, President Mills benefitted from the bribes that were taken by the likes of George Sipa-Yankey and Kwame Peprah. They didn’t stash all the cash in their private accounts. Some of it went to the NDC. Mills knows about it and so does Rawlings.

If President Mills tries to take any action against the named officials, he would come across as a turncoat – betraying the party’s cause. Under the circumstance therefore, his best option is to pretend that he’s going to do something, whiles Ghanaians wait and wait and wait – until we either forget or get some other scandal to blow Mabey and Johnson into the dustbin of history.

Every Ghanaian with pubic hair knows that contracts are not always awarded to those who can best execute the job. They are often given to those who are willing to return the favour by offering kickbacks. Conventional wisdom has it that the kickback is usually ten percent of the contract amount. NDC took these kickbacks under Rawlings – despite all his rants about “probity and accountability”. NPP under Kufuor did no different. In fact, Kufuor allegedly took the monies himself – and kept them in sacks in his office, much to the annoyance of his party chairman who complained bitterly and publicly about it.

So the party in power always uses its power to award contract to raise funds for its electioneering. That is why the ruling party is always rich and the opposition party is almost always broke. Just cast your mind back to the elections last year. If the ballots had been awarded on the basis of the wealth of the contesting parties, the ruling party at the time (NPP) would have won the polls by a landslide. They had money – too much of it – to splurge on gigantic and glossy billboards yet people lined up to give them more. At one of their fund-raising events, people holding sacks of cash were turned away because they didn’t come on time and the venue was full. People came to give because they knew that they more they gave, the more contracts they would receive.

The NDC, on the other hand, struggled to raise funds. Whiles the NPP sold out its fundraising tickets, hoards of the NDC’s were left unsold. They were eventually forced to call off the event.

That was in 2008.

At the next election in 2012, you can bet your last pesewa that there will be a role reversal. The NDC will have more cash and the NPP will struggle to raise money. Businessmen will run to donate to the NDC and the NPP will be hard-pressed to organise a decent fund-raiser.

When that happens, remember Mabey and Johnson.

They are not the only ones who have bribed and corrupted public officials like George Sipa Yankey, Boniface Siddique, Ato Quarshie, Obed Asamoah and Kwame Peprah. There are several other companies who pay cash for contracts.

President Mills knows that this happens. But his hands are tired. He can’t do anything without displeasing his party faithful or jeopardising his own political career. And that’s why he will do nothing.

Source: www.atokd.com

Mabey & Johnson Bribery Scandal: Cover Up Attempt?

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... Public inquiry not necessary in Mabey & Johnson bribery - AG ... No time line has been given to AG

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu says the bribery scandal that has hit some present and past government officials does not warrant any special commission to investigate.
She said the nature of the issue is such that the president does not need to launch any full scale public inquiry into it.
Mrs Mould Iddrisu was speaking to Joy FM on calls for the allegations to be investigated by a Commission of Inquiry just as is happening in the case of the Ghana@50 celebrations.
A UK court Friday named a number of past and present government officials as having received bribes from a UK construction firm, Mabey & Johnson during its operations in Ghana in the '90s.
Some of the names mentioned include Kwame Peprah, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique and Dr. George Sipa Yankey.
Following the court’s ruling, president J.E.A. Mills has instructed the A-G to investigate the issues to inform government’s next line of action.
But a section of the public thinks the seriousness of the allegations require a public inquiry.
Mrs Mould Iddrisu however disagrees. She said if the investigation is left in the hands of a Commission of Inquiry, “before you know it, the evidence has been corrupted.”
She said her own investigation would be sufficient.
The A-G also stated that no time line has been given for her to complete her investigations as “there can never be a time frame for investigations.”
She said new information usually keep coming up which makes it impossible to put a time frame to any investigation, assuring however that investigations would receive committed attention.

Source: Myjoyonline

Mabey & Johnson Bribery Scandal: 'Bribe takers' must resign

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The Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mr Daniel Batidam, wants persons named as having collected bribes in a UK court to resign from public office.

He said those of them who are currently holding public office should step aside and clear their names.

Mr Batidam said he was not surprised about the court’s ruling citing some Ghanaian public officials as having engaged in corrupt practices.

His worry though is that the story proves that corruption can “take place in such a nebulous way that unless and until something happens and there is reason for a revelation to be made, we might just think that people and firms are innocent and doing business in the right way while in fact they are actually living at the expense of ordinary people.”

A UK construction firm, Mabey & Johnson, last Friday confessed in court in the United Kingdom to dolling out thousands of Pounds to Ghanaian public officials in the 1990s in order to influence government decisions affecting their business in the country.

During that period, the company constructed bridges in the country and said it paid bribes to government officials through agents fronting for persons in influential positions.

Some of such persons, who are in government today, Mr Batidam believes, would be doing themselves and their reputation a great deal of good by resigning.

He told Joy FM that the trouble is worth it.

Source: Myjoyonline

I'll Be Surprised If Implicated Ministers Are Not Sacked--Ben Ephson

Political analyst and Editor-in-Chief of the 'Daily Dispatch' newspaper, Ben Ephson, says taking into account the kind of campaign message then Candidate Mills, in the run-up to last year’s General Elections preached, it would really be a bolt from the blue if he fails to dismiss some ministers implicated in the Mabey & Johnson trial in the UK. In an interview on PEACEFM during the Midday bulletin, Mr. Ephson, should it the report be confirmed as accurate, the implicated ministers should do the best thing by resigning. “I will be very stunned if after the Attorney-General secures certified true copies of the case and it turns out to be factual that indeed they took bribes, if they (NDC Ministers) don’t jump, President Mills will kick them out…given that one of the cardinal campaign messages he rode on to victory in the 2008 General Elections was fighting corruption…if Prof does not ask them to step aside to clear their name, I’ll be very surprised,” he stated. A landmark ruling in the UK on Friday, named several Ghanaian politicians as having once received bribes from a British construction firm Mabey & Johnson in the 1980s and the 1990s. Kingpins of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government including Dr Sipa Yankey, Mr. Kwame Peprah and Dr. Ato Quarshie were mentioned as having received bribes from the company. Dr Ato Quarshie who is a former Works and Housing Minister is said to have taken a cheque for £55,000 in 1995, whilst Health Minister Dr Sipa Yankey reportedly received a total of £10,500, lawyers for Mabey & Johnson said in court. Other persons including one Mohammed Seidu took £5,000; Edward Attipoe received £10,000; and Alhaji Sidique Boniface allegedly picked some £500 for school fees. The company, Mabey and Johnson and its Directors, were convicted after pleading guilty to the offence on Friday, September 25, 2009. Touching on the upcoming Chereponi by-election, Mr. Ephson, who is also a renowned Pollster posited that the margin of victory between the party that wins and places second “will be very close and not more than 2,000 votes. Source: Kwadwo Asante/Peacefmonline