President Criticizes For Reducing Westel Penalty

The minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament has described President Kufuor’s intervention to reduce penalties imposed on Western Telecommunications (Westel) as interference in the affairs of the National Communications Authority (NCA).

The NCA had imposed a penalty of 71 million dollars on Westel following its failure to achieve set targets in the operating license. But the President, last week disclosed that he had personally intervened to reduce the fine to 25 million dollars.

In a statement, the minority NDC said it finds the President’s decision to unilaterally negotiate a reduction of the penalty against public interest as improper.

This is because the NCA, which is the regulatory agency, had commenced the process of imposing the penalty with a hearing on the matter. The minority is of the view that such arbitrary interference in the work of independent institutions is creating a situation of unease in the investor community resulting in a decline in the level of foreign direct investment to the country.