Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has stated that the article by Elizabeth Ohene, the Board Chair of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), regarding the controversy surrounding the sale of 60% shares in four SSNIT hotels to Rock City, does not represent the views of the entire board.
Elizabeth Ohene has justified the integrity of the process that led to the selection of Rock City Hotel as the preferred company to acquire a 60% stake in the four SSNIT-owned hotels.
In an article titled “Coming out of the Hotels,” Elizabeth Ohene stated that she would assume responsibility and expects to be prosecuted if any evidence of corruption is found in the process leading up to the decision to pick Rock City, owned by Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong.
According to her, the process was transparent and adhered to all relevant regulations. She emphasised that SSNIT did not seek the president’s permission because it is not obliged to do so.
“I am able to say with the utmost certainty that the process that led to the selection of Rock City as the Preferred Bidder was clean, above board and met every rule and regulation and can withstand every scrutiny.
“Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa claims to have God and Ghana on the side of his campaign, and I would hope all of God’s Angels and Ghana’s investigative agencies, temporal and spiritual, would examine the process and tell the world if they find any irregularity or trace of corrupt practice. Indeed, if they should find any evidence of corruption, I will assume and accept responsibility and expect to be prosecuted.”
READ ALSO: Coming out of the hotels – Elizabeth Ohene writes
Reacting to this in a post on Thursday, June 27, the North Tongu MP said that Miss Ohene failed to address issues raised in the valuation report and how SSNIT was offering its stake in the hotels to Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City at $61 million, which was far below the valuation report of $121 million.
Meanwhile, he said he would soon announce the date for the “Hands off Our Hotels" demonstration in the Central Region.
Full statement
Going back into the hotels — The Fundamental Issues Hon. Elizabeth Ohene failed to address in her article (Part 1):
1. The business case and justification for selling our SSNIT hotels.
2. Why a very profitable Labadi Beach Hotel which paid GHS10million and GHS25million in dividends to SSNIT in 2022 and 2023 respectively should be sold?
3. The naked conflict of interest concerns in violation of Articles 284, 98 and 78 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana when SSNIT selected Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City as its preferred buyer.
4. The value for money issues — why did SSNIT accept Rock City’s bid of US$61million which was way off the mark and very much below SSNIT’s own fair market valuation of the 4 hotels pegged at US$121million?
5. Why did SSNIT ignore the superior offer of Kwaw Blay’s Spartan Ives which according to former NPP Chairman, Mr. Freddie Blay was between US$150million and US$200million?
6. Why was Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City bid not disqualified as they couldn’t have had a valid GRA Tax Clearance Certificate having failed to file their taxes in 2021 and 2022? This flagrantly violates the Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896) and SSNIT’s own advertised Pre-Qualification Criteria.
7. Why was Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City allowed to select the best 4 hotels when the advertised procurement was for 6 hotels?
8. Why has the payment terms been varied to favour Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City?
9. Why is SSNIT breaching its own advertised proof of funds requirement by allowing Bryan Acheampong to raise bonds to shore up its shortfall?
10. Hon. Elizabeth Ohene also failed to clarify in what capacity she was writing as she cannot purport to be speaking on behalf of the entire SSNIT board considering organized labour’s press statement of 20th May, 2024 stating unequivocally that the 4 labour reps on the SSNIT board opposed the transaction and asked for it to be halted.
For God and Country.
Ghana First 🇬🇭