GNPC Saga: Minority disputes $7.5M cost

The Minority in Parliament says its checks reveal that the actual cost of the residential facility being purchased by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation(GNPC), for its staff in Takoradi is $9.5million dollars and not $7.5million dollars as indicated by the Company.

 Member of Parliament for Bongo, Edward  Abambire Bawa says the Minority will haul the GNPC to Parliament to answer questions with regards to issues surrounding the residence.

Speaking in an interview on Accra- based Joy-FM which was monitored by PrimeNewsGhana, the Bongo MP said a GNPC payment authorization voucher shows bankers of the  Petroleum Corporation were instructed to pay an additional $2million  to Global Haulage Company Limited.

"I have in my possession, the payment authorisation voucher, that shows the net withholding tax, the Voucher indicates the amount that was supposed to pay on the 29th of December was $7.5M so if you take out the withholding tax, you will have a total of about 7.275", Mr Bawa said.

Read Also: 1 Constituency 1 bus: Freddy Blay must step aside for GNPC audit - Minority

He further explained the figures on the payment authorisation voucher in his possession does not match that of the $7.5million cost that the GNPC presented in its press statement.

"On the same payment voucher, they now indicate second payment to be done on the 3rd of January 2018, and that was $2million and if you look at the instruction that was given to their bankers, they had actually written to their bankers to effect the payment of the additional 2million to Global Haulage company limited", the bongo MP explained.

Mr. Bawa said "so if you take these two and you add them, you are looking at $9.275 and so let GNPC come and tell us why they still insist it is $7.5million. This is a document from their outfit and it is captioned 'Ghana National Petroleum Corporation Payment Authorisation Voucher'. On the basis of this, it tells you that, the figure that we have as part of their official document and the figure that we have in their press statement doesn't agree".

Reports indicate the GNPC CEO, Dr K.K. Sarpong directed the Chief Finance Officer to make a payment of $7.5 million to Global Haulage Company Limited, a company he once worked for.

The amount was for a 6-block residential apartment purchased from Global Haulage for which Dr. Sarpong once acted as Chief Executive.

This has, however, raised concerns about a conflict of interest.

Read Also: GNPC justifies purchase of residential property in Takoradi

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