Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
Stephen Odoi-Larbi
16 October 2009
Accra — The Chief Executive officer of the defunct Ghana@50 Secretariat, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby has advised the office of the President to pay all outstanding debts owed to Ghana@50 contractors.
This, according to Dr. Wireko Brobby would bring relief to the contractors and also minimize the interest payments on all outstanding debts owed the contractors by the government.
"Mr. Chairman, we have known the nominal debt position since the beginning of the year. Another ten months has gone and we crave your indulgence that we should make a start in the settlement of all outstanding debts. Those monies are there, but we have still not been paid," he noted. The government currently owes 49 contractors US$1,892,817.
Dr. Wereko Brobby, who was testifying on his third successive day at the Ghana@50 probe in Accra yesterday, also proposed that when the debt is settled, a team of experts should be set up to determine the total amount of interest that have accrued, in default of payments to the aforementioned arrears, and later pay them as well.
When asked the reason for the delay in payment of the outstanding debt, Dr. Wereko Brobby said it had to do with the embargo laid on all payments to contractors, when the new government took over the administration of the country.
To him, "those delays in payment are not my doing," adding "Before 31st December 2008, every single contractor owed was preparing to be paid.
We had already prepared payment vouchers since there was enough money to be paid to the contractors, but because of the transitional arrangement that requested to freeze payment of all monies to contractors, we were unable to pay them."
The Commission, chaired by Justice Issaac Douse enquired from Dr. Brobby why on May 21st 2007, series of letters were signed by him, assuring the contractors of payment by the end of July 2007, but was not able to honour its promise. "You will agree with me that these contractors are really having a difficult time", fumed Mr. Osei-Tutu Prempeh, a panel member of the Commission.
In a quite mood, with his usual soft voice, Dr. Wereko Brobby told the Commission that the Secretariat at that time had no money and had to depend on the government for assistance. Failure to pay all outstanding bills to contractors has resulted in some institution of court action against the government.
The state, as a result lost millions of new Ghana Cedis to the contractors, who took the bull by the horn to go to court.
According to Dr. Wereko Brobby, the Secretariat made an excess money of GH¢7,650,103.18 out of the celebrations, but his claim was challenged by the Commission, as to why the Secretariat could still not get enough money to pay its debts.
Dr. Wereko Brobby, in his answer to the Commission said there are still some outstanding amounts of money that have not been accounted for.
For instance, he said there was no monetized value for the 120 cars that were returned to the Secretariat.
In addition, he said the value of those uncompleted jubilee toilets were also not accounted for. He also noted that till date, the Ghana Trade Fair Company has not settled its debt of GH¢66,799.256.18 owed the Secretariat.
He was of the firm belief that if an amount was paid, in addition with the value of the projects, it would have increased the revenue base of the Secretariat.
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