We won’t spare Anyone – Amadu Sorogho

Board Chairman of the Ghana National Fire Service, (GNFS) has denied any personal involvement in the contract that led to the purchase of sub-standard uniforms for the service.

Alhaji Amadu Sorogho told Peace FM in an interview that some persons just want to destroy his ‘hard earned reputation’ and that is why they are associating him to the ‘dubious’ contract and the payment of the money.

GNFS has been caught up in various controversies concerning the purchase of sub-standard camouflage uniforms for its personnel as well as the payment of GHC1 million to the supplier of the uniforms, Jild Ventures. The traditional colours of the GNFS are red, black, and brown but the colours of the uniforms in question are green, white, red, black and brown, according to news reports.

However, the procured camouflage uniforms and tricycles for fire officers, which were also found to be of low quality, were certified by an Acceptance Board and had been locked up in the Service’s stores for years.

The Chairman of the GNFS Council is blaming the Acceptance Board for certifying that the goods were of superior quality.

Alhaji Sorogho recounted that when they realized the uniforms were sub-standard they rejected it but the suppliers were not happy with the decision and that led to the case being dragged to court.

The supplier won the case and “before we could say jack, the court had ordered Commercial Bank and all other accounts of GNFS through Bank of Ghana to pay Jild Ventures without our authorization or permission…I think they even took more than GHC 1 million”.

Alhaji Sorogho indicated that GNFS will investigate because this is a ‘clear case of corruption and so when the report of the committee is submitted, those implicated will face the law; no one will cover up anything’.

“…I want to assure the whole nation that we will never countenance that kind of issue. The case has been reported to the police and a committee has been set up to investigate. We will not spare anybody who will be found culpable… we are going to look into it and ensure that the right thing is done. Whatever which did not go down well we will correct” he opined.

Alhaji Sorogho also decried how the media has been handling the issue without much investigations and assured that GNFS will do all it can to restore the image of the service.

Meanwhile, a Board of Inquiry has been set up with the Deputy Chief Fire Officer Phillip Arhin-Mensah, who is the regional fire officer in charge of Ashanti Region as the chairman. It is expected that, its final report on the matter will be submitted within two weeks.