PV Obeng, SFO clash over $4m bribe

Mr. Paul Victor Obeng, former Special Advisor to Ex-President Rawlings who is rumoured as one of the recipients of the alleged $4 million bribe from Scancem has called off the bluff of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

The SFO on July 31 this year wrote to Mr. Obeng to the effect that he was being investigated for conflict of interest and abuse of power for private benefit.

Meanwhile, no report has been issued on the SFO's investigations into allegations of kickbacks raised against President Kuffour and some key government officials by the party's Chairman, Haruna Esseku.

Mr. Obeng was expected, as per the SFO letter, to furnish them with documents on his consultancy contract with Scancem.

Mr. Obeng who was scheduled to appear before the SFO last Friday, did not show up but was rather represented by his attorneys, namely, Messrs Larry Adjetey and Mr. Samuel M. Cudjoe both of the Accra-based legal firm, Law Trust Company.

The duo, who were expected to spend much time on behalf of their client to answer questions rather held officials of the SFO dumb-founded when they presented their stand in a letter.

They spent little over ten minutes and left the offices of the SFO. Mr. Adjetey on behalf of Mr. Obeng told The Enquirer that they were at a loss as to what exactly the SFO is demanding from their client.

He said there are no documentation on the consultancy services Mr. Obeng provided to Scancem at the time, adding that P.V has already stated that he did the work whilst out of government.

"We have made our client's position very clear that he offered those services to Scancem when he was out of public service," he said.

He said that Mr. Obeng had already come out with all that was important to know about 'the role he played for Scancem at that time and that there is nothing to know in addition'.

Pressed further by The Enquirer on their next line of action, Mr. Adjetey said that they have responded to the demand of the SFO and are patiently waiting to hear from that outfit.

"For now our client do not have any thing to add to what he has said so far," Mr. Adjetey said.

Mr. Obeng was named together with the Rawlingses as having received part of the alleged $4 million bribe paid which was expected to be paid to certain people in Ghana by Scancem to gain monopoly in the production of cement in Ghana between 1993 to 1998.

He has so far denied any wrong doing but said he offered consultancy services to the company at the time he was out of office as a special advisor to the Ex-President.

Both the Ex-President and the former First Lady have denied "receiving any such money".

A translated version of the judgement of the Norwegian court in the case that Tor Kjelaas steered off Scancem's inducement slush funds for his private use did not mention either Ex-President Rawlings or his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman.

Mr. Obeng who was also erroneously described by the court as Prime Minister was the only one mentioned in the judgement, but even that he was identified as "former Prime Minister".

He was identified in the 2006 judgement as a consultant to Scancem.