AMA pays 69m cedis to ex-NDC MPs

The cash-strapped Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has, according to 'The Weekend Statesman' paid 69,757,702 cedis as waste collection fees to David Lamptey and Sylvester Mensah, two ex-NDC MPs, even though they are not known to be collectors of waste.

Lamptey, former MP for Klottey Korle, received 24,650,000 cedis on January 11, 2001 for "refuse collection" at Osu Klotey and his former counterpart at Dadekotopon, Mensah got 45,107,702 cedis on January 16, also for "refuse collection" at that constituency.

The Assembly also paid 12,000,000 cedis to Lamptey for an unspecified "clean-up" five days after the December 7 elections.

Not only that, the AMA also paid 371,250 cedis to Intec-build, a consultancy firm believed to belong to the outgoing Metropolitan Chief Executive, Samuel Addokwei Addo, in a clear case of conflict of interest.

The money is said to be consultancy fee for the construction of the Okaikoi Sub-Metro office. Not only had the drawings for the building already been done by the AMA's City Engineer's

Department, the AMA has a large number of experts capable of supervising the project and did not need to engage any consultants beyond its own pool of engineers.

All these payments and others surprisingly were effected at the time when the NDC government was winding up. Other payments were made after the inauguration of the NPP government. The scandalous payments are said to have generated a considerable amount of uproar, leading to some assembly members openly questioning Addokwei Addo for the rationale behind such payments.