The Chairman of Interior and Defense Committee in Parliament, Fritz Baffour, has described as ridiculous claims that government has spent close to $300 million on the supply of National Security equipment without parliamentary approval.
[contextly_sidebar id=”YQ3ojIxJ64YIE8ne9kHMtJ8wmwoW8Tzl”]The NPP at a press conference on Tuesday, alleged, among other things, that the Mahama-led government had signed a fraudulent deal worth about $300 million for the procurement of national security equipment.
The Deputy ranking member for Defence and Interior, Major Derek Oduro, affirmed the allegations against the government in an earlier interview with Citi News.
According to the party, government has already paid a UK-based firm, Santa Barron, $120 million dollars, for the supply of the equipment on 30th November without due diligence.
But speaking on Eyewitness News, Fritz Baffour said his committee had no such expenditure budget.
The Ablekuma South MP retorted to the allegations, “I don’t know where it is coming from because I am the chairman of the Defence and Interior select Committee in parliament and various interventions like that will come to us one way or the other.”
“If it was a budgeted item and I looked at our budget, we don’t have anything like that, spending $300 million on arms,” he added.
Mr. Baffour further explained that such a deal “has to come before us [Defense Committee] for discussion so what I am saying to you is that it hasn’t come to my notice. It hasn’t come before my committee. I am telling you it is ridiculous that a certain amount is being spent unless it was part of the budget.”
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana