[dropcap]T[dropcap]he Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has refuted corruption claims leveled against her by Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, in relation to a contract for the production of national identification cards.
The Minister, in a statement, dared Kennedy Agyapong to provide evidence to support his allegations “born of ignorance”.
“I categorically refute the allegations of corruption made against me in relation to the award of the contract for the production of national identification cards by Mr. Kennedy Agyapong. They are patently false and I challenge him to come forward with evidence that corroborates his outlandish allegations.”
Kennedy Agyapong had claimed Ursula Owusu-Ekuful disregarded a bid [he had interest in] for a contract to print NIA cards in favour of more expensive bidders who had paid her money.
But the Communications Minister denied claims made by the former saying they were “patently false” as she explained that National Identification Authority (NIA) wasn’t under her remit as the Communication Minister.
She also noted the contracts were even signed by the Chief of Staff.
“… it is important to clarify that the NIA is not an agency of the Ministry of Communications; that is why the directive was signed by the Chief of Staff in the Office of the President. In accordance with the law of the land, the NIA’s reporting line is directly to the Office of the President. Consequently, as the Minister of Communications, I did not and could not have awarded the contract for the NID, or indeed oversee the process,” the minister stated.
The Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service has already begun investigations into these corruption allegations, in line with a directive by President Akufo-Addo to the security agencies to investigate any allegations of corruption against his appointees.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said she welcomed the investigations by the CID and will cooperate with them in hope of a quick closure to the matter.
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“I welcome the investigations by the CID and even though I am yet to be contacted, I will cooperate with the law enforcement agencies to ascertain the truth. A strong message needs to be sent out to those who deliberately disseminate disinformation. I look forward to a swift resolution of this matter”, she stated.