Gov’t connived with SADA to loot state – Asiamah

A member of the Public Accounts Committee of parliament, Isaac Asiamah, has accused the Mahama administration of conniving with former executives of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) to steal state funds.

This followed revelations in the 2013 Auditor General’s report indicating how the Authority had been milked dry by its former CEO, Gilbert Seidu Iddi, and other staff.

Mr Iddi, according to the report, wasted over GHS186000 on a trip to Turkey four years ago.

Apart from that wasteful expenditure, which has been condemned by the Public Accounts Committee, the Auditor General’s report also uncovered huge financial infractions against the Authority. It also said no legal action was taken against the perpetrators of those financial crimes.

In an interview with Class News, Mr Asiamah said government remains adamant to calls for Mr Iddi’s prosecution because it benefitted from the looting.

“All those officials that have been cited, that have been named in the report, nothing has happened to them, they are all walking free and that should tell you if the president says he is serious about fighting corruption, he is not serious at all. You can see that the CEO is not even concerned about implementing the recommendations of the Auditor General, they are not ready to do that because they know if they should do that some heads will roll, not only that but some political figures will be mentioned so they fear to implement it,” he stated.

“…You can’t tell me that the GHS32million that was meant for tree cultivation was only for the company. You can’t convince me; that is why those companies are still walking out there free because they know the people who benefitted from the loot. …It was obvious that those in responsible positions were involved in this ‘create and loot’ because they were all benefiting from it.”

Contrary to assertions by the Authority’s current CEO Charles Abugri that SADA had been able to shed its negative image, Mr Asiamah said SADA had lost its credibility.

“It is obvious that it’s a long way for SADA to be able to gain credibility and to work for its intended purpose. For now, SADA has failed woefully, not the people but the officials who were put there. They have failed the country, it is surprising that three, four years down the line, those officials are still walking free, nothing has happened to them,” added the legislator.

The Atwima Mponua MP wondered why the former CEO had not been prosecuted after being indicted in the Auditor General’s report.

“…He failed as a CEO, from the document we are speaking to, he did not respect the laws of the land, that is why SADA has found itself in this mess. … When you read the report, there are some criminal intentions and criminal activities that happened, so, that is why it’s shocking that as of today, the man has not been dealt with through the due process of the law.”