The former Deputy Energy Minister K.T Hammond has made another claim that the former Energy Minister Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei is keeping one more vehicle which belongs to the state.
[contextly_sidebar id=”itptjlsCo00SQQx7BGqvtoAobIxSF3CX”]Dr Oteng-Adjei returned a Lexus car which was bought for a rural electrification project but returned it after KT Hammond revealed on Citi FM that the Minister was still keeping the car even though he had been reassigned to another ministry.
“There is another car, it’s a saloon car belonging to GRIDCo [Ghana Grid Company Limited],” which he must return to the State immediately “so that we close the chapter,” KT Hammond said on Accra based Asempa FM.
Responding to KT Hammond’s earlier claim, Dr Oteng Adjei explained that, “I have returned it to the ministry. l asked them to go and take it when I read the Daily Guide report… they actually came this morning and took the car away,” Dr Oteng-Adjei told Accra-based radio station Joy FM on Tuesday.
Mr Hammond has since made another claim that the former Minister of Energy is keeping another car belonging to GRIDCO and said he does not understand why Dr Oteng-Adjei is still holding on to the vehicle.
Dr Oteng-Adjei in another interview with the media has expressed concerns over KT Hammond’s recent comments and said he believes he wants to “tarnish” his image.
An audit report presented to Parliament by the Auditor-General, had revealed that the then Ministry of Energy and Petroleum spent $1,745, 159 on 38 luxurious vehicles from a US$350 million US EXIM facility meant to extend electricity to about 1,200 communities between 2010 and 2012.
The Ministry of Power justified the decision to purchase the luxurious vehicles with money allocated for the project saying it was necessary and had saved the country $46 million, following an audit of the project.
Historically, there has been a trend where some ministers of state and government appointees usually keep state vehicles after their term of office.
Some have argued that the cars were offered to them at a cheaper rate after serving for several years.
By: Nana Boakye-Yiadom/citifmonline.com/Ghana