The Minority in Parliament has alleged that the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) is at the centre of a procurement scandal involving the alleged inflation of a contract for the construction of an office tower.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament, the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy and Member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu, John Abdulai Jinapor, claimed that a contract for a single office tower had been inflated from an estimated cost of US$39 million to US$78 million.
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According to the Minority, the revised contract amount approved by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) represents a 100 per cent increase over the original estimate.
Mr Jinapor further alleged that the amount approved for the construction of a single tower was equivalent to the cost initially agreed for the construction of a twin-tower office complex.
He accused the government of supervising what he described as an unlawful procurement process at a time when the country was facing severe economic challenges.
“We are firm in our conviction that this is a classic case of causing financial loss to the state. This is another PDS, Ameri and Movinpina scandal in the making,” he said.
The Minority explained that the twin-tower office project was initiated in 2015 under the leadership of the then Chief Executive Officer of BOST, Kwame Awuah-Darko, to provide office accommodation and generate additional revenue for the company.
According to the caucus, the current administration suspended the project after accusing Mr Awuah-Darko of inflating the contract, but investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) later cleared him of wrongdoing.
Mr Jinapor claimed that because of BOST’s financial constraints, the current management decided to proceed with only one of the two office towers and sought approval from the Public Procurement Authority to vary the contract price from an original estimate of US$19.5 million per unit to US$24 million.
He alleged, however, that the PPA instead approved a contract sum of US$39 million for a single tower without sufficient justification.
The Minority argued that the revised cost meant BOST would pay the same amount originally budgeted for two office towers to construct only one.
The caucus called on the government to provide a full explanation of the procurement process and account for the decisions leading to the revised contract sum.
It further demanded an independent investigation into the matter, warning that it would reject any internal inquiry.
The Minority said it would continue to monitor developments closely to ensure accountability in the management of BOST’s resources and the protection of public funds.
