Waterville Sinks Mpiani, Kufuor

*As It Exposes NPP Over Euro25 million Payout
… And Absolves NDC of blame
*Says Kufour Occasioned Loss


Waterville Holdings Ltd, the company at the centre of the Woyome judgement scandal, says it protested the cancellation of the contract it won contrary to suggestions by former Chief of Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani and other pro-New Patriotic Party elements that it accepted it.

The company also insists that it protested against the cancellation and subsequent re-designation of two of those contracts to the Chinese company brought into the bid process through the back-door by President John Agyekum Kufour.

According to Waterville, it also protested when the contracts for the construction of the Ohene Djan, Baba Yara and El-Wak stadia were reversed and made claims against the Kufuor administration over the contract through a negotiating team led by Sen. Gianantonio Arnoldi.

Waterville, in dossiers made available, through its Managing Director, Mr. Andrea M. Orlandi, to various investigating state agencies including the Police and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), indicated that the company took a strong exception to the manner the contract was terminated.

Waterville’s claims against the Kufuor administration started immediately the contract was abrogated in 2006 in letters written through its lawyer Kwame Tetteh on November 8, 2006, December 4, 2006 and December 20, 2006 respectively.

According to the company, in the course of investigations by the state agencies, it had earlier through another lawyer, Collin Russell, written to protest the entry of the Shanghai Construction company into the tendering process contrary to the tender procedure.

In that letter by Russell, Waterville complained that it was not right for a company that was not part of the Tender process to be engaged and awarded contracts.

According to Waterville, the all-powerful Mr. Mpiani, after a series of negotiations assured them in a letter written on May 27, 2008 that he would recommend to his boss (President Kufour) to have their claim of approximately 21 million Euros paid them.

In that letter which was written on May 27, 2008 by Mr. Mpiani, after meeting Mr. Orlandi at the Osu Castle on May 23, 2008, the Chief of Staff said that Government was seriously verifying Waterville’s claim.
He went further in the letter to assure Waterville that “as soon as (the) verification is completed, he will recommend to H. E. the President to have Waterville’s claim of approximately Twenty One Million Euros (E21, 000, 000) paid directly to Waterville”

Contrary to reports that Waterville wrote and demanded to be paid through Ghanaian construction firms Michelleti and Consar, Waterville said there was no further correspondence or exchange between it and the Chief of Staff until Mpiani wrote a letter on October 24, 2008 in which he stated that Waterville should contact Michelletti and Consar for their payment.

According to Waterville, the letter by Mr. Mpiani was fraught with mistakes and misrepresentation of facts, compelling its Managing Director, Andrea M. Orlandi, to write a memo to that effect to their lawyer, Kwame Tetteh.

Mr. Orlandi noted that Waterville did sleep on its right under the Kufour administration and only woke up to activate that right under the current administration, claiming that it was in negotiation with the NPP administration over its claims until late 2008.

Further to the change of Government occasioned by the December 2008 elections, Waterville said it presented its claims again and after several meetings with the Attorney General and her staff, “we went into mediation as prescribed by Article 16 of the Waterville/GOG contract” and justifiably got what they deserve.

Waterville said that contrary to media reports, it has not received double payment in any form for any work done under the contract it had with Government of Ghana and that it is also not true that it re-submitted the bill over which it had been paid by the erstwhile Kufour administration to the Mills-led administration and got paid for the same job twice.

According to Waterville, its position is clear and that is why it is collaborating and cooperating with the state agencies in their efforts to unravel the truth and myth surrounding the issue.