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31.08.2005 General News

GT Management Faults BNI Report

31.08.2005 LISTEN
By Chronicle

The management of Ghana Telecom (GT) has stated that if indeed the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) conducted investigation into the 87 billion cedi contract awarded to Byes and Ways in Kumasi and came out with adverse findings against the company and the board, then the rules of natural justice were not followed by the security agency.

Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday to react to the series of publications in The Chronicle about the ¢87billion contract deal, the Deputy Chief Executive of GT, Mr. Dickson Oduro Nyaning said the rule of natural justice demanded that when somebody was being investigated, the person ought to be contacted to enable him explain his side, which was never done by the BNI.

According to him, the said BNI report that reportedly made adverse findings against them was not copied to them, including the sector minister, Mr. Kan Dapaah. "We have not seen any BNI report," he added Mr. Oduro told the press that there were no underhand dealings at GT so far as the award of the contract to Byes and Ways was concerned and that they followed the laid down rules before awarding the contract. He however admitted that the GT did not advertise for the contract and explained that the country could boast of only four treatment plants, and due to that, the four companies were all invited to submit their bids, which they did.

He said after going through all the submitted bids, management realized that Byes and Ways had submitted the needed bid, so the contract was given to them.

When asked whether management had not breached the procurement law by failing to advertise before awarding the contract, Ms. Fitnat Adjietey, the Company Solicitor said GT did not depend on government subvention, therefore could not be said to have breached the procurement law.

The deputy chief executive further told the press that board members of the company were not appointed by the management, therefore they did not have the power to sack them as was being demanded by a section of the workers. He contended that the board members did not commit any crime in the award of the whole contract to merit the call for their removal.

"We wish to state categorically that on no occasion did the board chairman or any member of the board for that matter interfere with the process of awarding this contract.

The only time the board chairman participated in the process was when the recommendation was submitted to the board of directors for approval," Mr. Nyaning told the press conference.

According the deputy CEO, management did not allow their treatment plant at Takoradi to treat the poles because judging by its capacity, it would have taken the plant seven years to treat the 300,000 telegraphic poles instead of the three years they specified in the contract document.

He further said the board, in its determination the award part of the treatment to its own plant, decided to give them 70,000 poles to treat. He noted also that so far, their treatment plant at Takoradi had treated 5,453 poles while Byes and Ways treated 117,000. Mr. Oduro Nyaning denied also that the 70,000 poles they allotted to the Takoradi plant was later sent to Byes and Ways in Kumasi.

In an answer to a question posed to him by these reporters, Mr. Nyaning admitted that sometime ago, their treatment plant in Takoradi was treating electric poles for Byes and Ways at the cost of ¢70,000 per pole but now, they were paying a higher price to the same Byes and Ways.

He however justified the present price per pole being charged them by Byes and Ways since it was almost four years ago that GT charged them the ¢70,000.

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