The Member of Parliament for the Akwatia Constituency, Baba Jamal, has refuted claims he contributed to the collapse of the Ghana Consolidated Diamond Ltd (GCD) formally located in Akwatia in the Eastern Region.
According to the Deputy Minister, the company was doing well until the District Chief Executive for the area, Yiadom Boakye and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, mismanaged the facility in 2006 leading to its collapse.
Baba Jamal made these remarks in an interview with Citi News at a ceremony to introduce his campaign team for the December elections following reports that the NPP in Akwatia had accused him of collapsing the company.
“I want to make it clear that it was not only the NDC time that GCD collapsed. GCD collapse in 2006 – six long years after the NDC left power so why do they want to say that I am the one who collapsed GCD,” The MP stated.
Baba Jamal explained that, after the NDC handed over power in 2001 to the NPP, “for six years, the NPP could not manage it and closed it down and then whatever money was there, they went and picked it and went along and sold the land for private individuals to go and mine.”
Baba Jamal misunderstood us – Akwatia NPP
The NPP’s Communications Director for Akwatia, Obeng Danquah, has however said the Deputy Minister may have misunderstood their claims.
According to him, they were only arguing that since the Deputy Minister led the recent selling of the company to Zoomlion ltd, he would be in a better position to account for the $13 million owed the government.
“What some of the speakers said at our campaign launch was that, he championed the sale of the GCD to Zoomlion of which Zoomlion was to pay an amount of $17 million out which they have only paid $4 million dollars and it is left with $13 million dollars.”
“Since he championed the sale of the company to Zoomlion, we are asking him for the balance of the sale left to government,” Mr. Obeng Danquah said.
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana