Akufo-Addo faction wants Tarzan probed for financial loss

As pressure mounts on the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of President John Dramani Mahama to take the ‘bull by the horn’ in the fight against corruption, the Akufo-Addo faction in the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) have called on the President to include in cases to be investigated; the alleged financial loss of $31 million caused the State by Dr. Charles Yves Wereko-Brobby, as then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Volta River Authority (VRA).

This call was made by the Nana Addo Akyem-bloc within the NPP, in a chat with The Informer. It holds the view that corruption does not have a political colour and that President Mahama should walk the talk by fighting the corruption canker that has engulfed all sectors of government institutions.

Asked whether the call on the President to include Dr. Wereko-Brobby in the list of those to be investigated for alleged corrupt practices perpetrated against the State is not to shut-up the former VRA boss following his incessant attacks and criticisms on Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP during the election petition hearing; one of them replied, “this is not witch-hunting, but the fact is that people must be held accountable for their actions”.

“We cannot continue to let resources of [the] state to go down the drain in the name of politics,” he stated; and calls on the President to have the allegations as reported in 2003 about the financial loss caused the State by Dr. Wereko-Brobby investigated.

Conversely, credible investigations conducted by The Informer, with supporting files from publications by Mr. Kofi Koomson’s Chronicle newspaper dated back in 2003, reveal that Dr. Charles Yves Wereko-Brobby made Ghana lose a whopping amount of over $31 million through his decision to import a Strategic Reserve Plant (SRP); a venture which never saw the light of day.

The said amount, according to The Chronicle publication on December 18th, 2003, was as a result of the procurement, installation and later, dismantling of the SRP units, grounds works and installations undertaken by Glotec and other companies.

It would be recalled that, the then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, imported a Strategic Reserve Plant (SRP) which virtually became an assault on the public purse, when the facility failed to provide the services for which it was brought into the Country.

The Chronicle in its publication titled “TARZAN’S ROLE & THE EVIDENCE”, indicated per documents in their possession that, Dr. Wereko-Brobby secured the 120MW SRP which was then known as Emergency Power Plant (EPP) and ordered the Directors of Legal, Finance and EP & D to submit a contract within five days.

The report went on to state that a memo dated January 23, 2002, signed by the VRA boss and copied to the Director of Legal, Finance and EP&D, stated that, “We have secured a 120MW Emergency Power Plant to enable us assure a reliable power supply for this year, as well as assist the better management of the Volta Lake.

The Plant is expected to become operational from March 1, 2002, and should resolve the following critical problems”:

According to the memo, Dr. Wereko-Brobby ordered the three civil servants to prepare a draft contract within five days; that is Monday January 28, 2002.

In the continuing search by The Chronicle to further establish the direct involvement of Dr. Wereko-Brobby in the lease of SRP, it came across a letter dated January 10, 2002, addressed to Lushann International Energy Corporation, 2616, South Loop, Suite 502, Houston, Texas 77054.

The letter, which had the heading “Lease of 85 MW Power Plant” was signed by Dr. Wereko-Brobby and was to the attention of one Quincy Sintim Aboagye.

In the said letter, Dr. Wereko-Brobby stated, “I am pleased to confirm that the Volta River Authority (VRA) is interested in leasing of an 85MW Power Plant from your company under the following terms…”

Although the plant was brought into the country by Dr. Wereko-Brobby, it failed to serve its intended purpose, causing a huge financial loss to the state to the tune of over $31 million as a result of its procurement, installation, grounds works undertaken by Glotec and other companies, and the most heinous of all, its dismantling.

This is how Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby willfully caused financial loss to the state, but yet the President Mills-led-NDC government’s three years in power was unable to prosecute him.

Dr. Brobby is walking as a free man in the wake of all this evidence, but the NPP, today led by “Lawrence Addae” Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has been creating the impression as if Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome, who sued the Government of Ghana (GoG) and was paid compensation, has indulged in a criminal act.

We, at The Informer, insists that Dr. Wereko-Brobbey be made to answer for his actions, which led to the Government of Ghana (GOG) losing a whopping amount of over $31 million for importing a toy Strategic Reserve Plant (SRP) which never served any purpose.

We reproduce The Chronicle’s publications on the SRP for your own judgment, whether or not the NPP as a political party has any good moral to refer to the NDC as corrupt when persons like Wereko-Brobby served in their government and have caused Ghana this huge sum of money.