Gov't is acting cowardly on Vodafone issue - NPP

Gov't is acting cowardly on Vodafone issue- NPP

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The New Patriotic Party has chided government for embarking on what they say is a 'wild goose chase' in the sale of 70 per cent shares of GT to Vodafone.

Government on Tuesday said it was going to re-engage Vodafone on aspects of the Sales and Purchase Agreement it thought was not in the best interest of the country.

The decision follows recommendations by a five member committee instituted to investigate circumstances under which the agreement was sealed.

But in a reaction to Joy News, former Deputy Attorney General Osei Prempeh said the decision to re-engage Vodafone is only “a cowardly act”.

He described the re-engagement as “ridiculous” and vague in the realm of law and called on the on the Mills administration to offer undue apology for unjustifiably criticizing the former administration.

His counterpart, Fred Opare Ansah, who was the ex-Deputy Communication Minister said the findings by the committee was only a re-hatching of discredited old stories.

Except the findings on what the committee refers to as President Kufuor's personal involvement in striking the deal, Mr. Ansah believes all the other issues raised had been clearly debated.

He said the de-coupling of GT University from Vodafone which the committee recommended has long been dealt with insisting the committee was just a “waste of tax payers money”.

Asked if he was not interested in the increased value government hopes to get from the re-engagement of the Vodafone agreement, Mr. Ansah said “much as we wish government well in its attempt to re-engage, we do not understand first of all what this re-engagement mean.”

He said the previous administration did no wrong in the sale of 3.G license to Vodafone.

But Communication Minister Haruna Iddrisu said the arguments by Mr. Opare Ansah are unfounded.

He noted that there were still issues with the de-coupling of GT University from Vodafone and the review committee did no wrong in recommending its separation.

He chided the previous government for failing to do due diligence before selling the 70 per cent shares.

According to him, government lost close to $28 million when it added the 3G technology to the Sales and Purchase Agreement.

Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline