Ablakwa petitions World Bank to probe $48m Ascend contract allegedly awarded by Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
Ablakwa petitions World Bank to probe $48m Ascend contract allegedly awarded by Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
The North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has petitioned the World Bank over a project being rolled out by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation.
According to him, the contract for the project did not go through the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) which he says is a violation.
Mr Ablakwa has thus asked the World Bank to investigate the project as it is the one funding same.
In a tweet on Wednesday, July 12, the former Deputy Education Minister said the US$48million contract was awarded fraudulently.
“Yesterday, I petitioned @WorldBank to launch investigations into the litany of irregularities, misrepresentation, insider dealing & conflict of interest relating to the US$48million Ascend Scandal & how that was used to fraudulently secure a US$49.5m WB funded eTransform project.”
Mr Ablakwa’s eight-paged petition was addressed to Ms Maria C. Mallo, a senior investigator at the World Bank in Washington.
He stated that his petition was premised on the World Bank’s Anti-Corruption Guidelines.
Last week, the lawmaker alleged through documents from the PPA that the Communications and Digitalisation Minister, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, had handed a contract of US$48 million without PPA approval.
The Minister immediately denied the claim and dared him to produce the said contract she had signed.
Mr Ablakwa subsequently produced further particulars which the minister dismissed as a case of shifting goal posts on the issue.
This, the NDC MP has asked the World Bank to probe.
Source: myjoyonline
Richard Koomson| mediacentralonline.info |Ghana
kindly send us your stories on our WhatsApp line 0500004727
