Sale of drillship: Arrest Kan Dapaah, Hammond – Appiah Ofori

Anti-corruption crusader, P.C. Appiah Ofori is urging authorities to arrest former Energy Minister, Kan Dapaah and his deputy, K.T. Hammond for their roles in the sale of a drillship belonging to the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

Mr. Appiah Ofori told Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday that the sale of the drillship, Discoverer 511, to settle a judgment debt was illegal, adding that withdrawing money from the account created for the ship without parliamentary approval was also wrong.

With a Power of Attorney, the drillship was sold in 2001 by Mr. K. T. Hammond in London.

Both the former Energy Minister in the Kufuor administration, Albert Kan Dapaah and his deputy, K.T. Hammond have maintained that all the 24 million dollars realized from the sale of the ship was used to settle a judgment debt owed French Bank, Société Générale, legal services and the remaining 3.5 million dollars was returned to government chest.

But the former Member of Parliament for Asikuma Odoben Brakwa, P.C. Appiah Ofori insisted that state fund could not be disbursed without the prior approval of Parliament likewise the sale of a government property.

He said he was a legislator when the ship was sold in 2001 and confirmed that the transaction never passed through Parliament for approval. The anti-corruption crusader wants those behind the transaction to be charged for circumventing the constitution and acting irresponsibly.

“If Parliament did not give its approval for any of these transactions, then the whole thing was illegal, and therefore those, who did it must not be allowed to get away with their irresponsible act...I don’t care a hoot [whether] it is my father, mother, brother or a friend does anything contrary to national interest,” he asserted.

Since the drillship belongs to the state, he stressed, proceeds from the sale should have been deposited into the consolidated fund.

“If state fund has been disbursed without the prior approval of Parliament then it is an offence.”