There is no underhand dealing in GT sale- Presidency

Accra, Aug. 11, GNA - The Office of the President has stated that there has not been any underhand dealing in the sale of Ghana Telecom (GT) to the strategic investor, Vodafone, and that the Government has been very open and transparent.

"The Government has never and will never short-change Ghanaians", Mr Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary to and Presidential Spokesperson, told a Castle press briefing on Monday.

He defended the GT/Vodafone deal as the best for the viability, security and the future of Ghana Telecom and it's over 4000 employees and their families.

He noted the decline in both the net value and enterprise value of GT over the years, and said the Company needed to be saved and that people should not pretend that all was well with the company.

Mr Awuni took a swipe at the reported threat by the leader of the minority National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor John Evans Atta Mills, to reverse the sale if elected to power and make those found "culpable of short-changing Ghanaians face the full rigours of the law."

He said what was ironic was that this same person as then Vice President and leader of the Economic Management Team of the NDC Government, sold out hundreds of State Owned Enterprises including the Ghana Telecom under bizarre circumstances.

The Press Secretary continued; "Indeed if the NPP Government had not bought out Telecom Malaysia at their behest in 2002, there would not be a Ghana Telecom to privatize today."

Mr Awuni was emphatic that the Government had followed all the laid down procedures for divestiture and violated none.