The Minority in Parliament has said it is waiting for “expert advice” before it makes public comment on the recent scandal that hit SSNIT.
It said it will restrain itself from rushing to speak on the matter although it has held various meetings on the subject.
[contextly_sidebar id=”W0S16UKH5MZPZJhDJq8HW3ZyS0Dce2bd”]SSNIT is being investigated by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for blowing $72 million on procuring and installing a software and other hardware systems known as the Operational Business Suite (OBS) in a bid to digitize the Trust under the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
The cost, which was originally $34 million, later ballooned to $66 million and then to $72 million due to maintenance and additional infrastructure.
The Board Chairman of SSNIT, Kwame Addo Kufuor, in an earlier interview with Citi News, said about 15 people had already appeared before EOCO as witnesses in the matter.
SSNIT has also contracted PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct an audit into the contract. SSNIT’s General Manager MIS, Caleb Afaglo, who was employed in 2015, has been dismissed by SSNIT after it emerged he got the job with fake degrees.
Several days after the news broke; the Minority, which has developed the penchant of hurriedly holding press conferences to comment on trending national issues, is surprisingly yet to make a formal public statement on the matter.
But speaking at a press conference in Accra to address a separate matter, the Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said “We don’t just want to talk as a Minority, I need expert advice. We are studying; we don’t want to be a Minority that just rushes to say.”
“In fact last week, there was a meeting on the particular subject. There are many issues including free SHS.… Don’t forget that myself I was the Minister who oversaw pensions and I do have a position on the prudent management of pension resources. At the appropriate time, when I’m satisfied with the details, we would address the public on this and many issues,” Haruna Iddrisu said.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana