A deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Osei Bonsu Amoah, Thursday, told the Appointments Committee that never in his life time has he been charged with corruption.
Hon. Amoah, who is also the NPP MP for Akuapem South, however, said he was politically detained for a day in connection to the Woyome saga over the construction of stadia to host CAN 2008.
“I have never been charged with corruption anywhere and anytime,” he noted.
On Sunday, February 19, 2012, who was then the MP for Aburi-Nsawam was arrested by the Police in front of his house at Parakuo Estates, near Dome when returning from Parliamentary assignment, for causing financial loss to the state in the Woyome saga over the award of a contract to Waterville, Micheletti and Consar, for the construction of stadia for the hosting of the CAN 2008.
He was then sent to the Police Headquarters for questioning, and later released on Monday, February 20, 2012.
At a press briefing organized by the then Minority NPP Caucus, Hon. Amoah told journalists that his arrest was illegal since he did no wrong in the Woyome saga.
He said though there was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between government and the aforementioned firms in building the Kumasi, Accra and El-Wak stadia, Waterville was not able to raise the funds, as per the dictates of the MoU, hence the abrogation of the said contract.
“The then government had a MoU with three companies – Waterville to look for funding, Consar and Micheletti to build the stadia in respect of the Kumasi and Accra Sports facilities.
“Beyond that, a contract was also signed in April. By August 1, the Attorney-General had written to Waterville, not the local contractors – that in your case, you’ve not been able to raise the funding, the purpose of which a contract was signed with you.”
“In that case, we cannot sign any agreement that we had with you to Cabinet and Parliament, to make it effective, because you have not fulfilled the condition precedent.”
“And that is how come Waterville opted out. In the meantime, a Cabinet sub-committee said that, to be fair to you, these local contractors were on site, and you were looking for money –you are saying that you assisted them in their being on site and then clearing the site, etc., sit down with the consultants and let’s know even with the local contractors how much you have put in. But, because we don’t have any contract with you, we can only pay the contractors, who will then reimburse you for what you claim you have put in, because they will even know. And that is exactly what we did.”
“And as we were leaving, we had told the whole world that every money due Waterville in this arrangement have been paid to the local contractors, who have never denied it – either Consar for Kumasi or Micheletti for El-Wak and Accra. This is what happened. Now, where does causing financial loss come in?” the embattled MP contended.
Mr. Amoah told reporters that under his watch as Deputy Minister of Sports, he worked under four substantive Ministers, namely Mr. Osafo Maafo, Papa Owusu Ankomah, Prof. Dominic Fobih and Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, and that he never took any decision on his own.
