We'll prove corruption allegation against Accra Mayor - TJGEM

Mr. Michael Lasley, counsel for the American Company TJGEM, LLC, which has filed a $511 million suit against Ghana, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, and its Chief Executive, Alfred Okoh Vanderpuije, among others, has told The Chronicle that at the appropriate time they would make public evidence about kickbacks, bribery, and other serious allegations they have made against the 4th defendant in the case, Dr. Vanderpuije.

In the suit filed at the District Court of Columbia in the United States of America, TJGEM alleges that in a meeting their representatives had with Dr. Okoh Vanderpuije at the gardens around Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra, the Mayor demanded bribe and kick-backs before the contract for the construction of sewer system in Accra would be approved.

“A few days later, the Mayor requested the TJGEM team to meet with him in the park grounds of Kwame [Nkrumah] Circle. Kwame Circle is located in a busy and noisy area of the city. Although it contains park grounds, it is not a park which hosts visitors, thus, the only persons in the park at the time TJGEM’s representatives were there was the Mayor, a few of his aides, and persons who had need to discuss official business with the Mayor, or who were petitioning the Mayor for aid, assistance, or support for some project, issue, or privilege.

“While having a private discussion about the sewer project with the Mayor in Kwame [Nkrumah] Circle, outside of the presence of his aides and others who were present in the park, the Mayor stated that those public officials who would be involved in the approval process for the sewer project would expect that he would be paid bribes or kickbacks for support of the project, and that he would share said bribes and kickbacks with said public officials, in order to receive their support for the project.

“None of the members of the TJGEM team were receptive to his suggestion, or intimation that TJGEM must pay bribes and kickbacks in order for TJGEM to be awarded the sewer project contract, but stated emphatically that TJGEM would not be a party to any such corrupt practices,” TJGEM alleges in the suit.

But, in response to e-mail The Chronicle sent to him, Michael Lasley noted that the goal of his clients was to settle the case amicably, and based on that, he was being restrained from making any adverse comments on the case.

“Thank you for your inquiry. Please reference the complaint for information. Our goal is to settle this case, so that the Export-Import Bank of the United States will continue to agree to provide the half-billion dollar loan for the Ghana Sewer Project, to benefit the Ghanaian people. Thus, I am restrained from making adversary comments.

The evidence/facts will be provided to the public later. We will provide our documents to the public after the defendants answer our complaint. The defendants have been summoned. They have approximately sixty (60) days to respond to our complaint. If they fail to respond, there are several possible negative consequences. The most likely consequences will involve damages, but more importantly – the cancellation of the Export-Import Bank half-billion dollar loan for the Ghana Sewer Project,” Michael Lasley noted.

Turn to the centre pages for the continuation of the unedited version of the writ filed at the court.