Campaign against Nduom unmasked

Following a publication on the front page of the Thursday 17 April 2003 edition of the Ghana Palaver, under the headline “Stop Press”, The Crusading Guide newspaper set its investigations machinery in motion.

The investigations revealed that contrary to the said publication, the Minister of Energy Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, had long resigned his position with Deloitte & Touche, a multinational consulting firm. Additionally, he has sold his shares in the company to his partners.

According to the Ghana Palaver newspaper gimmick, the recent Cabinet reshuffle had caught Dr Nduom pants down and wondered what he will do with the staff from his private firm Deloitte & Touche “whom he has recruited as consultants to the Ministry of Regional Integration and Economic Planning,” his former Ministry.

The paper continued, “Hurriedly (and before his successor Dr Konadu Apraku takes over) Dr Nduom lost his position as Chairman of the Deloitte & Touche Africa Region Board. He relinquished his position as Managing partner of Deloitte & Touche West Affrica Consulting”.

The Crusading Guide newspaper gathered also that his partnership of Deloitte & Touche, USA, which he became the first African to hold in 1985, had also become a thing of the past. The source disclosed that there was no financial or operational relationship between Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom and Deloitte & Touche.

“It appears that some find it difficult to believe that such a long lasting and profitable relationship can be ended. But these are the facts. Some people have joined government with little or no professional standing or business positions. But Dr Nduom brought into his position in the Kufuor Administration, global experience in Africa, USA, Europe and Puerto Rico, working for companies and government organisations.”

Our source at the firm intimated that the trustee for the business interests of Dr Nduom and his long standing lawyer, who is currently a Supreme Court Judge – Dr Seth Twum – was the one who presided over the separation of the Minister from Deloitte & Touche, though as a Supreme Court Judge could no longer be Dr Nduom’s lawyer now.

The source noted that “the continuing dragging of Dr Nduom into imagined relationship with his former firm is borne out of political and personal mischief.” This paper gathered that at the time the Cabinet reshuffle was announced, there was no Deloitte & Touche contract with the Ministry of Economic Planning and Regional Integration. “Since then, and indeed today, there has not been any contract signed between the Ministry and Deloitte & Touche”, he (source) underscored.