Anti-corruption campaigner Ace Ankomah has accused the office of the President of having foreknowledge of the scandalous rebranding contract between the Transport Ministry and Smartty’s.

The controversial rebranding contract which initially cost the nation some GHC3.6million has become a matter of public interest following revelations that the 116 buses were rebranded before the contract was awarded by the ministry.

Pressure group Occupy Ghana, has through the courts, obtained copies of the contract and the eventual investigations conducted into the deal by the Attorney General and are calling for the prosecution of public officials who are complicit in the rot.

Speaking to Starr News, Mr. Ankomah who is a leading member of Occupy Ghana said the presidency appears reluctant to prosecute officials implicated in the probe because such a move will hurt its reputation.

“They cooked up the deal, right from the office of the President. The deal was cooked up. One of the letters revealed that the decision to do that branding was taken in consultation with the office of the President,” he stated.

However responding to the charge, the presidential adviser on corruption Daniel Bartidam who also spoke to Starr News said the claims are baseless.

“…Let us not pretend as if people who work in government are people who suddenly cannot put logic on their heads. I am not one of the people who will defend everything but I do not think there is basis for the claim he is making”.